2018-04-20

NNPA CHAIRMAN
DOROTHY LEAVELL:
50 YEARS AS PUBLISHER
OF THE CRUSADER
NEWSPAPERS
p.5
p.2

NOW WHAT ?
Scott wants delay to avoid "chaos and uncertainty" in upcoming Florida elections. Translation: he wants to avoid being sent
to the politician's retirement home by people he and his clemency board have systematically disenfranchised for years.
Jamaican Jerk and U-Haul from non-traditional partnership, from page 1

Apr 20 - 26, 2018 | Orlando Advocate
3
This is Sunday Dinner. It’s when we all
come together to enjoy really good food. And each other.
Get recipes at publix.com/sunday-dinners.
Court Lifts Stay, Allows Florida Patient to Grow
Own Marijuana
Proposed Constitutional Amendment Could
Set Up Competing Education System in Florida
by Jake Stofan
by Jake Stofan
TALLAHASSEE, FL
- A circuit court judge has
lifted a stay preventing a
Tampa night club owner
from growing his own marijuana.
Leon County Circuit
Judge Karen Gievers, ruling
from the bench Tuesday,
lifted an automatic delay
that had been triggered
last week when the Florida
Department of Health appealed
her decision allowing
Redner, 77, to grow his
own cannabis for juicing.
Last week a circuit court
judge ruled a state law prohibiting
Tampa Night Club
Owner Joe Redner from
growing his own plants violated
his constitutional right
to use medical marijuana.
The state appealed,
automatically putting that
ruling on hold.
Back in court, Redner’s
lawyers argued halting his
treatment puts his health
at risk.
“Mr. Redner wants to
remain in remission. Everyday
he misses, we just can’t
get that back,” said Redner’s
Attorney, Luke Lirot.
Redner’s doctor ordered
a juicing treatment that uses
live marijuana plants to
prevent a relapse of stage
4 lung cancer, according to
court documents. Emulsification,
or juicing, of the
“biomass of the marijuana
plant” was determined to be
“the most effective way” for
Redner “to get the benefit
of medical marijuana,” according
to Gievers’ decision
last week.
The state argued the stay
should stay in place because
Redner isn’t currently growing
marijuana so he isn’t
losing anything.
“Mr. Redner has never
been receiving the treatment
that he is trying to get with
this order,” said Department
of Health Attorney, Jason
Gonzalz.
The judge sided with
Redner a second time.
“There really shouldn’t
be any obstacles to doing
this,” said Lirot. “It’s that
sacred relationship between
a doctor and a patient that
the department has put
its foot into without any
right.”
The state will again seek
to put the ruling on hold.
This ruling does not
allow anyone other than
Redner to grow marijuana.
But the ruling could
play a role in other pending
cases, including John
Morgan’s ‘NoSmoke is a
Joke’ lawsuit.
“I think that this court
will find that limiting smoking
marijuana is also an
unconstitutional deprivation
of the plain language of
amendment 2,” said Lirot.
If it stands, the ruing
would open the door for
other patients to seek the
same treatment.
The suit now heads to
the 1st District Court of
Appeal, but a final decision
will likely have to come
from the State Supreme
Court.
TALLAHASSEE, FL
- Education advocates
are speaking out against
a proposed constitutional
amendment passed by the
Constitution Revision Commission
Monday.
In the state capital there’s
an ongoing debate between
school board members, over
whether to allow two new
charter schools to move in.
“We don’t believe there’s
a need. We believe it’s a
waste of taxpayer dollars,”
said Leon County School
Superintendent Rocky
Hanna.
If the proposed constitutional
amendment passes
that decision could be put in
the hands of a state agency,
not local elected officials.
Hanna says the proposal
is hidden in the amendment,
which also includes requiring
civics education and a
6-year term limit on school
board members.
“Oh by the way we’re
also looking to take away
local control these charter
decisions at the state level as
opposed to the local school
level,” said Hanna.
The amendment would
authorize the creation of
a state entity that could
authorize the creation of new
schools. It would operate
separate from the current
school districts.
“Well the question then
of course of concern is if
you have two systems how
do we know that each will
be funded equitably,” said
State Senator and head of
the Florida Association of
District School Superintendents
Bill Montford.
The existing public education
system would have to
share state funding with the
new one, possibly thinning
out an already tight budget.
“We’re going to have to
start looking at eliminating
programs, especially those
in art, music, science, mental
health counselors and all the
things we need to provide
Superintendent Rocky Hanna
for the good of the whole,”
said Hanna.
Because the change
would be in the constitution,
it would be difficult
to undo.
“They’re trying to amend
the constitution to defund
and have for the next 20
years a policy that will gut
our public school systems,”
said Fredrick Ingram, Vice
President of the Florida
Education Association.
Some members of the
Constitution revision commission
tried to unbundle the
proposals, but it failed.
The amendment will
need 60% voter approval
come November to pass.

‐‐ Publisher/crusader ‐‐

6
Orlando Advocate | Apr 20 - 26, 2018
Increased Youth Activism May Not
Correspond to Voter Turnout
By Trimmel Gomes
Tickets
Start
at $18!
Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Subject to availability.
AMWAY CENTER
MAY 11 – 13
TALLAHASSEE, Fla - A group of eight
kids filed a lawsuit on Monday in Florida
against Governor Rick Scott (R-FL) in an
attempt to force the notoriously climateaverse
politician to take action on climate
change.
The eight young Floridians suing Gov.
Rick Scott and Agriculture Commissioner
Adam Putnam are riding the wave of youth
activism with multiple press conferences
focused on the environment. The students
are suing the state for what they say is a
violation of their constitutional rights to a
healthy climate.
The lawsuit argues that through affirmative
actions — like supporting offshore
drilling and strict regulations on solar
energy — Governor Scott has violated the
young people of Florida’s right to a livable
climate.
Along with the post-Parkland gun
debate, this is the second case this year in
which a group of students is lobbying the
government for change. Oscar Psychas is
a 20-year-old college freshman and one
of the plaintiffs in the case. He says he’s
confident movements like his are making
a difference.
“I think that this case has every reason
that it can win,” he says. “And I’m really
excited about that because young people are
starting to hold their governments accountable,
and that’s just really exciting.”
The lawsuit is supported by Our Children’s
Trust, a national organization focused
on protecting the environment for future
generations. But despite Psychas’ optimism,
supervisors of elections in six of the state’s
seven major counties have reported seeing
a drop in youth voter registration compared
with 2014.
Tallahassee is home to two of the state’s
major universities and a college. The city
has more than 63,000 students but has lost
nearly 4,700 young voters since February.
However, Psychas says young voters need
to challenge some politicians’ moves to
disenfranchise them.
“Our leaders often make a calculation
that young people tend to be politically
disempowered so that they can continue to
do these actions that are so clearly going to
make things worse,” he says.
According to the Florida Center for
Investigative Reporting, Governor Scott in
2015 banned the use of the term “climate
change” in official communication. A
spokesperson later denied that claim.
For Psychas and other young protesters,
the odds for 2018 don’t look favorable.
According to the United States Elections
Project at the University of Florida, as many
as two-thirds of voters in the age group are
forecast to sit out the midterm elections.
1700943
DisneyOnIce.com

April 20 - 26, 2018 | Orlando Advocate 7
Lifestyle
L.A. Salami The City of Bootmakers
Reviewed by Brenda Nelson-Strauss
London musician L.A. Salami
created a buzz through a
string of EPs leading up to his
acclaimed 2016 debut album
Dancing with Bad Grammar.
Now he returns with his second
full-length project, The
City of Bootmakers, which
continues his folksy style of
social commentary.
Born Lookman Adekunle
Salami (yes, L.A. Salami
is his real name), the singer-songwriter
grew up in a
household that never paid
any particular attention to
music, and he didn’t learn
to play guitar until receiving
one for his 21st birthday. But
he was always attracted to
literature and seems to have a
special affinity for Welsh poet
Dylan Thomas and icons of
the ‘50s and ‘60s, including
Beat Generation authors Allen
Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac,
and folk musicians Woody
Guthrie and Bob Dylan. A
dapper nonconformist, Salami
has been likened to a modern
day troubadour, channeling
his experiences into sharply
honed lyrics, sung over lush
acoustic-oriented alt-rock. All
of these characteristics come
to the fore in his most recent
video single, “Jean Is Gone,”
included on the album as a
bonus track:
Though Salami is primarily
a vocalist and guitarist,
he occasionally switches
over to harmonica, Rhodes
and, according to the album
credits, “ambulance.” His
backing band, the Bootmakers,
includes Simon Nilsson
(guitar, bass, piano, organ),
Petter Grevelius (guitar, bass,
organ, vibes), and Sean Beam
(drums, organ), otherwise
known as Francobollo, a UKbased
Swedish rock band.
The project was recorded
in Berlin with Robbie Moore
(The Mores), known for his
retro sound styled after ’60sand
’70s guitar pop with rich
vocal harmonies—the sound
permeating The City of Bootmakers.
Easing into the album with
the intro “Sunrise,” Salami
evokes a Shakespearean-era
street scene with a jangly
tune reminiscent of an organ
grinder. As the music grows
louder, a group of revelers
greet the dawn with Salami in
the lead, inviting the audience
to experience the wonders of
“the troubadour”—obviously
relishing the moniker he’s
been assigned in the press.
After the revelers fade into the
distance, the band kicks into
the first single from the album,
“Generation (Lost),” a song
about “feeling lost during the
journey of finding yourself.”
Addressing the anxiety of his
generation, Salami croons:
“I’m penniless, but I’ve sold
my soul / I’m restless, but I’ve
nowhere to go / Generation
L, lost in lust / Generation L,
laborious.”
Not shying away from political
themes, on “Terrorism!
(The Isis Crisis)” Salami sings,
“I heard that an ancient book,
inspired him to die / The Jihad
source decoded wrong, enforces
that old line / But when
words contort in certain tones,
Is it the preacher, scribe or
one guy that does the crime?”
Other songs, though seemingly
lighthearted in character,
veer into topics ranging from
gentrification to immigration,
deportation, and discrimination.
But the cheerful pop in
major keys and driving 4/4
rhythms can become a bit
tiresome, making one wish
Salami would break away and
dive into deeper and darker
territory befitting his themes.
That’s why “I Need Answers”
is such a welcome departure
with its discordant melodies
and angst-ridden lyrics as
Salami struggles to navigate
a path through life.
The album concludes on
a similar note with “What Is
This?” Existential thoughts
become mired in practicalities
as Salami sings, “Preachers
remind you that the end is
coming, but the rent dates
comin’, so the end can wait
– what is this? What is this?!”
L.A. Salami’s approach to
songwriting reflects his artistic
bent and roots performing
spoken-word poetry. The City
of Bootmakers is a fine showcase
for this philosopher poet,
with lyrics that dig deep into
life’s inequalities and oppression,
yet are delivered in a
manner that offers hope for
the future.

8
Food
Tomato Braised
Chicken Thighs
Orlando Advocate | April 20 - 26, 2018
Health &Wellness
FIRST BLACK WOMAN
TO BECOME MARINE
BRIGADIER GENERAL
Jenny A. Casiano,
By dariuscooks
I think we’ve talked about
this before, haven’t we? I once
heard that chicken thighs are
the new bacon. And, well, I’m
sorta agreeing with that. I love
a chicken thigh. It’s my favorite
piece of the chicken. It’s flavorful.
It’s juicy. And, honestly, it’s
4 chicken thighs
a good pinch of salt and pepper, for each
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of diced onion
1/4 cup of diced bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of good white wine
1 cup of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 8oz can of diced tomatoes, with their juices
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon of ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs
hard to screw it up. I served the
whole thing over creamed corn
grits. And whew…this was
really some good eating!
Start by preheating a cast iron skillet until it’s warm. Also, preheat the oven to 400
degrees. Liberally season each chicken thigh with salt and pepper on both sides. Then,
add the olive oil to the skillet and cook the chicken thighs on each side until their golden
brown. Only flip them once and note, they won’t be one all the way through.
When they’re seared and golden one each side, remove them from the skillet. Remove
most of the excess oil. Leave about a tablespoon of oil in the pan. Then, saute the onions,
bell peppers, and garlic in the oil until fragrant. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
Next, add in the tomato paste. Stir it in well and cook for another 2 minutes. Then, you
can deglaze the pan by adding in the white wine and chicken stock. Lastly, add in the
tomatoes, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, ground fennel, and dried
Italian herbs. Add back in the chicken thighs and put the whole pan in the oven. Cook for
20-30 minutes or until the chicken thighs have cooked through.
Serve over creamed corn grits!
Here’s how I made the grits – you don’t even need a recipe. Just cook 2 cups of grits
in 4 cups of chicken stock. Then, when they’re tender – add in a fourth of a cup of heavy
cream, a good pinch of salt, and a few tablespoons of mascarpone cheese. For the creamed
corn, just add a cup of frozen corn kernels to a food processor along with a half cup of
heavy cream and blitz until smooth. Add the creamed corn into the grits and cook for a
few minutes to incorporate.
Marine Corps Col.
Lorna M. Mahlock, the
deputy director of Operations,
Plans, Policies
and Operations at Marine
Corps headquarters
outside Washington,
D.C., will become the
first black woman to
don the rank of brigadier
general thanks to
the nomination from the
Department of Defense.
The Marine Corps is
the smallest of the four
military services and has
the lowest percentage
of female members, according
to Marine Corps
Community Services.
And just under a hundred
women across active
duty and reserve
Marines are serving in
various combat job fields
that were previously
closed to women.
The first black general
in Marine Corps history
was Marine aviator Frank
E. Petersen Jr. He was
selected as a second
lieutenant in October
1952 after completing
flight training and was
promoted to brigadier
general in 1979, according
to Marine Corps
University.
Mahlock received a
Masters from the U.S.
Army War College and
the Naval War College.
Additionally, Mahlock
graduated from Marquette
University with
a bachelor in broadcast
journalism in 1991 and
earned a Masters degree
from the University
of Oklahoma in adult
and higher education.
Defense Secretary
James Mattis made the
historic announcement
Tuesday, reports CNN.
Mahlock currently works
as the deputy director
of Operations, Plans,
Policies, and Operations
Directorate at Marine
Corps Headquarters in
Washington.
Mahlock’s assignment
to brigadier general
opens up doors for other
women—especially African
Americans. Recruiting
efforts for African-
Americans and women
applicants have been
a little down. But since
2012, the Marines have
vowed to improve diversity
efforts and launched
a campaign that they
expect will improve their
numbers, ABC News
reports.
In 2016, Mahlock discussed
her experience
in the Marine Corps as
part of a video dedicated
to Women’s History
Month.
“Over my 30 years
in the Marine Corps,
my experience in terms
of how women have
evolved has been very
positive,” she said in
the video. “It’s been a
steady rise. I’m very,
very hopeful.”
Marine Corps Col.
Mahlock has had an
extensive career in the
Marines and has served
in the Office of Legislative
Affairs and served
in Okinawa, Japan. In
her post she commands
1,300 troops and civil
personnel according to
Newsone. Mahlock also
oversees $250 million in
equipment.

April 20 - 26, 2018 | Orlando Advocate 9
Beauty
Faith
SHOPPING FOR VEGAN BEAUTY?
HERE’S WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Shawna Davis, blackdoctor.org
FAITH AND WORK SERIES:
WORK. CAREER. CALLING.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
For some people,
being “vegan” alludes to
a diet where practitioners
avoid consuming any type
of animal products. That
means no meat, no dairy,
no poultry or anything that
derives from an animal. As
you can imagine, it takes
much dedication to refrain
from eating the aforementioned
food groups, especially
with a restaurant
dedicated to these particular
foods seemingly located
on every corner.
However, despite what
some people may believe,
being a vegan actually
goes beyond what one puts
into their body; for many
people, it’s a lifestyle. It
emphasizes the importance
of not eating or using any
animal products from food
to clothes to skincare. As
potentially hard as it is to
stay the course of maintaining
a vegan diet, it’s even
more difficult when living
a vegan lifestyle and not
finding too many effective
vegan-friendly skin care
products.
To put it simply, the
struggle is real.
Thankfully, though, it’s
not impossible to maintain
living a vegan life these
days. With an influx of
people adapting to the vegan
lifestyle, many brands
have taken notice and are
now making more veganfriendly
beauty products
that not only get the vegan
stamp of approval but also
work amazingly.
With the abundance of
vegan skincare products
now available in most
stores and even an entire
aisle in some stores solely
for organic and natural skincare
(Thank you, Whole
Foods!), it’s still necessary
to read the label and
ingredients list to ensure
you’re getting what you’re
expecting while shopping
for your vegan goods.
If you’re not sure what
to look for or need a better
understanding of labels
and ingredients of skin
care products, here’s a
breakdown of some of the
labels you’ll see on different
products:
Certified Vegan: If you
see this on a product, know
thatit’s all good. This label
means it’s not tested
on animals and is 100%
free of any animal-derived
ingredients or animal byproducts.
Leaping Bunny: This
means the company and
their ingredient suppliers
do not conduct or commission
any animal testing of
their products. Companies
must agree to recommit
annually and may require a
company’s supplier monitoring
system to be submitted
to an independent audit.
100% Vegetarian: Products
with this label doesn’t
contain animal ingredients
but it may contain animal
by-products.
Not Tested on Animals:
This label means none of
its products and ingredients
have ever been tested
on animals and must not
contain any ingredients
derived specifically from
killing an animal or provided
as a by-product from
killed animals. Companies
pay to use and license
the Choose Cruelty-Free
(CCF) rabbit logo and are
required to undergo regular
re-accreditation to ensure
they continue to adhere
to the CCF Accreditation
standards.
Cruelty-Free: Verified by
PETA, the company and
their ingredient suppliers
provide a signed statement
verifying they do not conduct,
commission or pay
for any tests on animals.
In addition to looking for
specific labels on beauty
products, also take note of
the following non-vegan
ingredients that are commonly
used in a number of
beauty products:
Lanolin: Derived from
sheep wool and is a common
ingredient in lip products
such as lip balms and
glosses and hair products.
Beeswax: Commonly
used in mascara and lip
balms, beeswax is also
sometimes labeled as
“Cera alba.”
Collagen: This ingredient
can be found in may
anti-aging and lip plumping
beauty products and is
derived from animal tissue,
bone, skin or ligaments –
typically from cows.
Carmine: Red pigment
that comes from crushed
cochineals and is found in
lipsticks, nail polishes and
blushes. Sometimes referred
to as Natural Red 4.
Gelatin: This gel-like
substance comes from the
boiling of cow and pigs
skin, tendons, ligaments
and/or bones in water.
Often used in beauty
products such as shampoos
and face masks.
Squalene: Derives from
shark liver oil and is used
in lubricating creams and
lotions.
While some companies
proudly display their vegan
status on their product
labels, other may be more
subtle, so if you’re in the
market for vegan beauty
products, be sure to pay
close attention to certain
labels and ingredients to
ensure you’re getting what
you expect.
Many of us tend
to do two things with
our time: work and sleep.
While finding a bunch of
articles on sleep is just as
exciting, the Urban Faith
team will be shedding
light on Faith and Work.
So, for the next several
weeks, we’ll be talking
about careers, individual
calling, entrepreneurship
and all things related to
connecting your God life
with your job life. Be sure
to check back regularly
for the next Faith and
Work Series feature.
When we are introduced
to someone, what is
one of the first questions
we ask?
“What do you do?”
When we ask this question,
what we really mean
is, “What is your job?”
We define ourselves
by our careers. Even
most Christians find their
identities in their vocations.
Our work no longer
serves God. It serves us.
In his article “Careerism
and the Ethics of
Autonomy: A Theological
Response,” J.A. Donahue
writes,
As a secular perversion
of calling, careerism
invites people to seek
financial success, security,
access to power and
privilege, and the guarantee
of leisure, satisfaction,
and prestige.
Avoiding this “secular
perversion of calling” is
essential to integrating
faith and work. Many
Christians desire a deeper,
more integrated approach
to serving God in their
work, but they struggle
with how to do this. Understanding
the difference
between work and calling
can help.
THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN WORK AND
CALLING
In an interview with
Fast Company, Harvard
Business School psychologist
Timothy Butler
offers the following advice
about how vocation
differs from career or job:
There are three words
that tend to be used
interchangeably—and
shouldn’t be. They are
“vocation,” career,” and
“job.” Vocation is the
most profound of the
three, and it has to do with
your calling. It’s what
you’re doing in life that
makes a difference for
you, that builds meaning
for you, that you can look
back on in your later years
to see the impact you’ve
made in the world. A
calling is something you
have to listen for. You
don’t hear it once and then
immediately recognize
it. You’ve got to attune
yourself to the message.
Christians today have
the same difficulty understanding
the differences
between vocation, career,
and job. We also throw
in the word “calling,”
which further complicates
things. Calling may or
may not mean the same
thing as vocation.
If we look at the origins
of the words career and
vocation, we immediately
get a feel for the difference
between them.
Vocation comes from
the Latin verb vocare,
which means “to call.”
This explains why Butler
equates vocation and calling.
The definition suggests
that a person listens
for something which calls
out to him. The calling is
something that comes to
someone and is particular
to someone.
In the secular world,
career is the term we
most often hear regarding
work. it originates from
the medieval Latin noun
carraria, which means “a
road for vehicles.” Hence
the term career path.
A career is usually associated
with an occupation.
Becoming a lawyer
or a securities analyst is
a career choice. It is not
usually the same thing as
a calling.
The most specific and
immediate of the three
terms is job. It has to do
with current employment
and a specific job description.
THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN VOCA-
TIONAL CALLING,
CAREER, AND EVERY-
DAY WORK
In order to understand
the biblical doctrine of
work, we must understand
a fourth term, vocational
calling, and how it differs
from career, occupation,
or job.
Vocational calling is the
call to God and to his service
in the sphere of vocation
based on giftedness,
desires, affirmations, and
human need. It is usually
stable and permanent over
a lifetime (unlike a job
or a career, which can
change often).
How are vocational
calling and career related?
A career should be based
on the opportunities for
service presented to believers,
enabling them
to fulfill their vocational
callings. Finding the right
career at any one time is
a matter of God’s specific
leadership, guidance, and
provision.
Vocational calling from
God to the workplace is
above a job or a career.
Luther and the Reformers
saw occupation as timely
opportunity for service,
in God’s providence,
presented to believers
to enable them to fulfill
their vocational calling
through what we would
call everyday work.
Rather than equate
vocational calling with
a specific occupation or
career, we are called to be
Christians in whatever situation
we find ourselves.
Vocational calling stays
the same as we move in
and out of different jobs
and careers. It is directly
related to the discovery of
our God-given talents. We
develop and hone these
talents into useful competencies
for the glory
of God and the benefit of
others, often in various
jobs or occupations.
Thus vocational calling
provides a framework
for our jobs, careers, and
occupations. As R. Paul
Stevens describes in Doing
God’s Business: “The
New Testament treats
work in the context of a
larger framework: the call
of God to live totally for
him and his kingdom.”

10
YOU AND A GUEST ARE INVITED
TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Rated PG-13 for violence, menace, bloody images, sexual references, and
brief strong language. Limit one (1) admit-two pass per person. Must be 17 years of age or older to receive
pass. You must have a pass to attend. Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Supplies limited.
Employees of all promotional partners and their agencies are not eligible. Void where prohibited. SEATING IS
LIMITED, SO ARRIVE EARLY. PASS DOES NOT GUARANTEE A SEAT AT THE SCREENING.
IN THEATERS FRIDAY, MAY 11
www.breakinginmovie.com
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9 • 7:30 PM
AMC ALTAMONTE
To receive a complimentary admit-two pass
to the advance screening, email us by Monday, April 23
with the answer to the following trivia:
In which movie does Gabrielle Union’s
character leave the DEA and start a new
job as an LAPD detective?
promotions@orlandoadvocate.com
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fifty years
after Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference organized
thousands of Americans in an anti-poverty
effort popularly known as the Poor People’s
Campaign, a group of progressives want to
revive the effort on the heels of a sweeping
new report surveying poverty in the United
States.
Gathered in the nation’s capital on
Tuesday, organizers and activists announced
a 40-day multi-state action protesting
economic disparities across the country
and their underlying causes. Emphasizing
the “moral fusion” and intersecting nature
of oppressions, speakers pointed to The
Souls of Poor Folk, a study taking stock of
the breadth and depth of poverty across the
United States, published the same day.
Authored by the Institute for Policy
Studies (IPS), The Souls of Poor Folk reviews
the 50 years between the initial launch
of the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968 and
modern day. Its findings emphasize the
impact systemic racism, climate change,
outsized military funding, immigration
crackdowns, and other factors have played
in exacerbating poverty.
“There’s an enduring narrative that if the
millions of people in poverty in the [United
States] just worked harder, they would be
lifted up out of their condition,” IPS Director
John Cavanagh said before a packed room
Tuesday morning. “But here we’re proving
— with data and analysis spanning 50 years
— that the problem is both structural barriers
for the poor in hiring, housing, policing,
and more.”
He added, “It is unfathomable that in
the wealthiest nation in the world, medical
debt is the number one cause of personal
bankruptcy filings and 1.5 million people
don’t have access to plumbing.”
Activists have long rallied around these
issues when discussing poverty and the
need for policy change, but those gathered
in Washington said the new research is essential
to corroborating their argument.
“The goal is to not have only the faces,
but the facts and the footnotes,” said Rev.
William Barber II, founder of Repairers of
the Breach, a non-partisan movement and
one of hundreds of organizations behind the
new Poor People’s Campaign, an “audit” of
the state of poverty in the United States.
Facts and footnotes abound in the 123-
page report, which centers on a number of
key areas, including white supremacy and
the impact of hardline immigration polices.
Black, Latinx, and Native American communities
disproportionately live in poverty,
an issue exacerbated by “tough on crime”
practices and discrepancies within the
criminal justice system. Federal spending
on anti-immigration measures like border
strengthening and deportations, meanwhile,
increased from $2 billion to $17 billion
between 1976 and 2015 — a jump that has
left many immigrant families struggling to
meet basic costs.
Climate change and ecological devastation
have also played an outsized role in influencing
poverty trends. Puerto Rico serves
as a leading example of this phenomenon:
the island is still struggling to recover from
a devastating hurricane nearly eight months
out, a tragedy compounded by existing
debt and limited funds. On the mainland,
poor communities are more likely to face
Orlando Advocate |Apr 20 - 26, 2018
A sweeping, multi-state anti-poverty
movement kicks off in the age of Trump
By E.A. Crunden
the ramifications of pollution and other
environmental hazards.
According to the report, the pollution,
scarcity, and affordability of water throughout
the United States has also sparked stark
discrepancies: lower-income households
spend seven times the amount on water bills
as their wealthier counterparts.
Those problems endure across the urbanrural
divide — while low-income communities
in cities struggle with expensive bills,
rural areas often lack basic access to sewage
and piping systems. Native American and
Native Alaskan communities, for instance,
represent 13 of the 20 counties with the least
access to plumbing, all of which are rural.
Areas like the South, Midwest, and
Appalachia appear frequently in the report.
Some of the poorest parts of the country,
these regions may have become synonymous
with support for President Trump’s
candidacy but they are among those most
impacted by his administration’s policies.
Of the nearly 2.4 million Americans whose
annual income is too high to qualify for
Medicaid but too low to typically afford
insurance in the marketplace, 89 percent
live in Southern states. These areas are also
home to large communities of color and
immigrant populations disproportionately
threatened by poverty.
But these regions are also home to a
long history of activism. King’s organizing
efforts in states like Alabama and Tennessee
may have spurred the original Poor
People’s Campaign, but modern efforts,
like the “Moral Mondays” movement led
by Rev. Barber in North Carolina, are a sign
that progressive endeavors persist. Led by
Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharis, the listening
tour preceding Tuesday’s launch incorporated
testimonies from areas in Alabama,
West Virginia, Michigan, Mississippi, and
Kentucky — all home to large low-income
populations.
Speakers on Tuesday, including the
study’s authors, emphasized the intersectional
nature of the findings, noting that
poverty impacts millions of Americans
who are white. They also downplayed the
influence of the White House. “We didn’t
get these ideas from any party, left or right,”
Barber said, later adding, “We are not doing
this just because Trump got elected. Even
if he hadn’t been elected, 27 million people
still would not have health care.”
The original Poor People’s Campaign
ultimately proceeded without one of its
key figures: Dr. King was assassinated in
Memphis during a stop meant to draw attention
to the conditions of sanitation workers
in the midst of a strike. To that end, activists
said the new Poor People’s Campaign would
focus on elevating the voices of struggling
communities and would take cues from local
and state movements, rather than national
organizations.
“I am not speaking about the poor, I am
not speaking for the poor,” said Claudia
De la Cruz, an organizer and community
leader from the Bronx in New York City. “I
am the poor.”
The campaign will begin on May 13 and
run until June 21, culminating in a massmobilization
at the U.S. Capitol building.
Speakers said child poverty and the impact
of income inequality on women and people
with disabilities will be among the first
issues they address.

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