2018-05-11

p.5
Juveniles constitute 1,200 of the 1.5 million people housed in federal and state prisons in this
country, and nearly 200,000 youth enter the adult criminal­justice system each year, most for
non­violent crimes.
On any given day, 10,000 juveniles are housed in adult prisons and jails. These children lose
more than their freedom when they enter adult prisons; they lose out on the educational and
psychological benefits offered by juvenile­detention facilities. Worse, they are much more
likely to suffer sexual abuse and violence at the hands of other inmates and prison staff.
p.5

May 11 - 17, 2018 | Orlando Advocate 3
Family first.
This is a chance to celebrate the gift of togetherness—
with the people who remind you what life is all about.
Your family.
Learn how Publix can help make it a family reunion to remember at publix.com/familyreunion.
Consumer Advocates Warn
Against Repeal of Auto-Loan
Discrimination Rule Trimmel Gomes
Tinker Field History Plaza Opens for Residents to Reflect and
Honor Orlando History
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
- According to several consumer-backed
studies, the
color of your skin can make
buying a car more expensive.
In 2013, the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau
issued a notice that discriminatory
auto lending is
illegal, but a GOP-led effort
in Congress to overturn
those protections is gaining
traction. The resolution that
already passed the Senate
targets “dealer markups,”
where car dealers charge
additional interest on top
of what third-party lenders
charge.
Alice Vickers, director
of the Florida Alliance for
Consumer Protection, says
she’s seen numerous studies,
including from the National
Fair Housing Alliance, detailing
how auto dealers tend
to make decisions based on
race.
“Sixty-two percent of the
time, nonwhite customers
who are more qualified than
white counterparts receive
more costly insurance pricing
options,” she explains.
Republicans are using
the Congressional Review
Act to make the change
while mostly downplaying
the research. The House is
expected to vote on the measure
this week, then President
Trump is expected to sign it
into law if it passes.
Consumer advocates
such as Vickers have come
out in fierce opposition,
worried that the reversal
would actually lead to an
increase in discriminatory
practices. Those backing
the resolution claim that will
not be the case. Vickers says
if the rollback is successful,
consumers, particularly
people of color, will have to
be more vigilant.
“You need to be very
pointed in asking questions
and, you know, really probe
your auto lender to make
sure that you’re getting a
good deal,” she says.
Republican lawmakers
have ramped up use of the
Congressional Review Act
to roll back a series of federal
regulations.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Last
week, Tinker Field History
Plaza officially opened for
residents, recognizing 100
years of Orlando baseball
and Civil Rights history in
the City of Orlando. As the
spring training home of the
Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati
Reds, Washington Senators
and Minnesota Twins
dating all the way back to
1923, Tinker Field hosted
some of baseball history’s
most influential legends,
including Babe Ruth and
Jackie Robinson as well as
Civil Rights leader Reverend
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We are excited to officially
open this Plaza, a
place for our community to
learn about and celebrate
Orlando’s baseball and Civil
Rights history,” said Mayor
Buddy Dyer. “I am thankful
for the community involvement
from the public and our
dedicated volunteers who
helped to shape and develop
this project.”
A key part of the city’s
plan for strategic growth
is recognizing, preserving
and celebrating the past
and honoring history, which
makes this ribbon cutting
particularly impactful during
Historic Preservation
Month in May. The Plaza
incorporates elements such
as a historical timeline, Reverend
Martin Luther King, Jr.
and Baseball Hall of Famer
Clark Griffith monuments,
refurbished original stadium
seats and signature gateway
entrance, replica covered
pavilion, vintage-style lighting
and State of Florida
Historical Marker.
With the leadership of
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer
and District 5 City Commissioner
Regina I. Hill and the
community, this site is now
a space for people to gather,
learn, reflect and honor the
history in Orlando as well
as the local and national
heroes of the Civil Rights
Movement who integrated
professional sports in the
city.
“The official opening
of Tinker Field History
Plaza is a significant moment
for our community and
we couldn’t have achieved
this without our residents
and committee team who
worked tirelessly to ensure
this project was completed
while appropriately paying
tribute to the site’s history,”
said Commissioner Hill.
“We look forward to
this landmark continuing
to be used as a
place for reflection and
historical significance
for all.”
For more information
about Tinker Field
History Plaza, visit
www.cityoforlando.
net/venues/tinkerfield/.

The National Prison Rape
Elimination Commission
described their fate in
blunt terms in a 2009
report: “More than any
other group of
incarcerated persons,
youth incarcerated with
adults are probably at the
highest risk of sexual
abuse.”
Meek Mill had high­profile help to get
out of jail; most defendants don't

6
Orlando Advocate | May 11 - 17, 2018
Since 1988, the Florida Lottery has contributed
over $33 billion and counting to our public
education system and has sent over 775,000
students to college and beyond on Bright
Futures Scholarships. Every time you play, you
grant Florida’s brightest the opportunity to
achieve their dreams and ultimately boost the
state’s economy, all while funding the next
generation of students. Your ticket is their ticket
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Redevelopment Opportunities Available in
Mercy Drive Area
ORLANDO, FL –The
City of Orlando is currently
seeking proposals for the
redevelopment of two cityowned
properties located in
the Mercy Drive area into
quality residential development.
The two currently
vacant sites were formerly
known as Peppertree Shores
and Peppertree Circle.
The vision for this development
is for mixed-income
housing communities that
complement the surrounding
neighborhoods and include
housing to serve low to moderate
income households and
increases the inventory of
permanent supportive housing
in the city.
“The City of Orlando is
committed to ensuring that
every person, regardless
of economic status, should
have access to housing that
is safe and affordable,” said
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
“Redeveloping these two
formerly blighted and currently
vacant properties into
vibrant new communities
will provide additional housing
inventory for our low
to moderate income and
currently homeless residents
and also furthers our efforts
to revitalize the Mercy Drive
neighborhood.”
The city is seeking proposals
from multi-family
developers interested in redeveloping
one or both of the
parcels into quality housing
communities. Proposals are
due at 4 p.m. on Thursday,
May 31, 2018.
For more information
about this redevelopment
opportunity, please visit
the city’s website at www.
cityoforlando.net/obfs/realestate-management-surpluscity-owned-property-salelease/.
Orange County Hurricane Expo to Provide Free
Hurricane Preparedness Information
Orange County, Fla.
– Orange County encourages
residents to take steps
to be prepared for hurricane
season. The 2018 Hurricane
Expo will be held on June
9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at
the Cypress Creek High
School gymnasium located
at 1101 Bear Crossing Drive,
Orlando, Fla 32824.
The free, half-day event
will offer preparedness information.
Free preparedness
items, including weather
radios and first aid kits, will
be distributed while supplies
last.
Orange County, Fla.
– Residents are invited to
join Orange County Mayor
Teresa Jacobs and the Veterans
Advisory Council in
honoring the members who
served in the armed forces
in Orange County and ultimately
sacrificed their lives
while serving their country.
The annual Orange County
War Memorial and Wreath
Presentation Commemoration
Ceremony will take
Attendees will be able to
speak to emergency response
and recovery experts from
the Orange County Office
of Emergency Management.
Representatives will answer
questions and provide information
on how to respond to
flooding, high-wind damage
and property loss.
Participants will also
learn how to track storms,
pack a disaster kit and prepare
an emergency plan for
themselves and their pets.
Hurricane season begins
June 1 and ends November
30, 2018.
place at the Orange County
Courthouse at 10 a.m. on
Monday, May 28, 2018. The
event is free and open to the
public.
Mayor Jacobs will
deliver remarks and present
a resolution during the
commemoration event. The
Veterans Advisory Council
will then accompany her in
a wreath laying ceremony,
which will be followed by
the playing of “Taps” to
A 2018 hurricane expo
PSA can be found on You-
Tube through the Orange
TV channel or the below
webpage.
WHAT: Orange County
Hurricane Expo 2018
WHERE: Cypress Creek
High School gymnasium
1101 Bear Crossing Dr.,
Orlando, Fla 32824
WHEN: Saturday, June
9, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
MORE INFO: 407-836-
9140 or ocoem@ocfl.net or
www.ocfl.net/storm
Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Veterans Advisory
Council to Honor Fallen Heroes on Memorial Day
commemorate the fallen
heroes. Allie L. Braswell,
Jr., Civilian Aide to the Secretary
of the Army, will serve
as the guest speaker.
Media Availability
Date: Monday, May 28,
2018
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Orange County
Courthouse
425 North Orange Avenue,
Orlando, FL 32801

May 11 - 17, 2018 | Orlando Advocate 7
Lifestyle
There’s something to be said for
raw, introspective honesty. It not only
provides relief to the one sharing, but
it also lets others know they aren’t
the only ones adjusting to difficult life
issues. On his latest album, A Strange
Journey Into the Unimaginable, underground
rapper Murs bares his soul
with some of his most candid, direct
lyrics yet. Murs, a native of south
central Los Angeles, has released
nearly two dozen albums, but none
of them belt out the trials and tribulations
more poignantly than this one.
Yet, he still manages to weave some
lighter-hearted rhymes in-between
his retrospections, showing fans that
regardless of the darkness faced, one
can still find reasons to smile beyond
the pain.
MU
In his first track, “The Unimaginable,”
Murs strips himself down to
the bone, providing a glimpse into his
previously unimaginable life journey
dealing with a painful divorce, a
12-month separation from his son,
and the loss of his stillborn second
son and a personal friend: I cried
a whole lot when I filed for divorce,
and when a homie got shot /…when
I was separated from my son, I cried
for almost a year /..a baby boy… h e
was born without a
heartbeat. The
next offering,
“Melan-
choly,” is a more upbeat tune that,
while continuing its focus on struggle,
admits that Murs’ overwhelming
grief has morphed into a lingering
pensiveness: Hi everyone. My name
is Murs, and uh…yeah. I’ve had a
rough couple of years…I’m at this
point now where I’m not too high and
not too low. I’m just here.
“Same Way” is a fun, tongue-incheek
diss to friends and family of
Murs’ girlfriend who don’t like him, as
he simply states, “Tell them
I feel the same way.”
On “Superhero
Pool Party,
Murs’ son
asks for a
bedtime
story and
is treated
to a comical what-would-happen
narrative involving characters such
as Batman, She-Hulk and Professor
X. Providing touching tributes to love
and commitment on “So Close So
Far” and “Vows,” Murs shows his
softer and more hopeful side, and he
closes out his album with the somewhat
dark but still completely candid
“God is the Greatest,”
While his experiences so far were
something he most likely couldn’t
have imagined, Murs has turned his
tragedies into therapeutic rhymes.
Spinning his tales so that everyone
knows they aren’t alone, Murs has
managed to turn the unimaginable
into a tale of perseverance, giving
all of his listeners hope for their own
journey through life.
RS
Reviewed by Amy Aiyegbusi
A Strange Journey Into the Unimaginable

Orlando Advocate | May 11 - 17, 2018
8
Food Health &Wellness
Easy Cream Tart Cake
Okay fine, I’ll bite! You got me!
I couldn’t resist!
I’m talking about this new
cream tart cake trend that’s been
sweeping through Pinterest, bakeries
and my facebook feed since
early January.
Have you seen these?
I know I’ve been going HARD
on the sugar and carbs lately here
on Divas Can Cook lately, but
I blame you guys for requests.
Can’t.Resist. Must.Have.Cake.
Oh, wait, before you continue
reading let me warn you. Once you
start making these cream tart cakes
for people, you will get asked to
make them… often!
People will seek you out and
offer to pay you for a personalize
cream tart cake once word gets out.
This may be a good or bad thing.
A while back my sister, the
baker, sent me a photo of a number
cream tart cake she’d made for
a friend. Honestly, I was kinda
confused on what it was.
WHAT THE HECK IS THIS…
CREAM TART CAKE YOU
SPEAK OF?
Was it a cookie? A cake? And
why the heck did it have some
much stuff piled up on it? It looked
beautiful nonetheless!
Helloooo Cream Tart Cake. The
floodgates opened, and I’ve been
getting so many requests for me to
try my hand at one.
There is no need to google
“cream tart cake near me” when
Cook time
12 mins
Total time
12 mins
Author: Divas Can Cook
Serves: 1 cookie cake
Ingredients
COOKIE CAKE
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon coconut extract
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
CHEESECAKE FILLING
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup powdered sugar, divided
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon coconut extract
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
Toppings: Fresh, pesticide-free
edible flowers, candy flowers, fresh
fruits, etc.
you can quickly make your own!
I was surprised at how easy they
were to create.
Cream Tart Cakes are the new
“it” cake! And food bloggers
have been having a blast creating
their custom (number, letter,
shape) cream tart cakes! It’s been
awesome seeing all the creativity
flowing. All unique little works
of art.
The original cream tart cake is
being traced back to baker Adi
Klinghofer. OMG check out all the
gorgeous cream tart cakes on her
Instagram! So talented!
Don’t they just scream bridal
showers, brunches,… SPRING!!!!
Ok so I knew my decoratingchallenged
self couldn’t hold
a candle to Adi’s cakes, but I
couldn’t resist trying it out and
showing you guys my results!
I LOVE the cookie-cake and filling
part but uh….my decorating..
um…yeah, I’m not gonna quit my
day job.
You have GOT to try a cream
tart cake though! Who cares if you
suck at decorating, it’s art! They
are seriously so easy, fun and beautiful.
And what great personalized
gifts they make!
And what I’ve discovered from
looking at all the recreations of
cream tart cakes out there is that
there really isn’t a wrong way to
do it! Use what you want!
The “cake” part is a cookie.
Some folks use wafers, pound
cake, crust or sugar cookies. I’m
using a tweaked version of my
southern tea cake. I like the soft,
yet firm texture of these cookies.
They go well with the simple
cheesecake filling. I threw a trio of
coconut, lemon and vanilla extract
to the mixture and it’s lovely.
I’ve seen these cream tart cakes
decorated with so many things
from fresh flowers and macaroons
to fruits and candy. Let your
imagination run wild!
You really can customize them
to any flavor combination you like.
I’ve already got my eyes on a
lemon cream tart cake. Oh, my!
With candied lemon decorations,
yellow roses, and a lemon mascarpone
filling. How amazeballs
would that be?!
Yep, I can tell cream tart cakes
are gonna be my new boo for a
while.
Kinda like how I couldn’t stop
making cake pops when they first
came on the scene!
I decided to make this cream tart
cake just for me as my birthday
cake. Every year I make myself a
new birthday cake that I’ve never
tried, and this is the cake for 2018!
I topped with a few of my favorite
fruits, a few mini fresh flowers,
and candy flowers.
Be sure to serve this cake the day
you make it since the filling makes
the cookie a bit soft when it’s been
sitting for a while. Which really
isn’t a bad thing to me but hey,
whatever floats your boat.
Happy cream tart cake making!!
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in egg.
Mix in extracts. Set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk or sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, alternating with milk, until a dough
forms.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until dough is soft.
Add more flour only as needed.
Shape dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until dough is thoroughly chilled. (About 1 hour)
Divide dough into two equal-sized balls.
When the dough is soft enough to roll, place dough between parchment
paper and roll each ball ¼ inch thick.
Cut out your desired shape twice. (Using a paper or plastic template is best)
Place shapes on a pan lined with parchment paper. (I cut my letters out
on parchment paper so that all I have to do is lift it onto the pan).The dough
should still be very cold before going into the oven. Refrigerate dough before
baking if needed.
Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. (may need
less time)
Let cool completely.
To make the filling, add heavy whipping cream and1 tablespoon powdered
sugar in a large bowl.
Beat until fluffy with stiff peaks. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, vanilla, coconut, lemon
extracts and remaining powdered sugar until creamy.
Fold in whipped cream.
Add filling to a piping bag with a 2A size tip. (Refrigerate filling to firm
up, if needed)
When ready to assemble, place the first cookie down and pipe on dots along
the edge of the cookie.
Carefully, top with final cookie and pipe dots around the edges and center
of the cookie.
Decorate as desired
Serve and enjoy!
I SURVIVED: LUNG CANCER SURVIVOR
SHARES STORY, STRUGGLES, AND TRIUMPH
This week, May 7 – 13,
isn’t just a week to celebrate
mothers everywhere, but it’s also
National Women’s Lung Health
Week. This is the fourth annual
National Women’s Lung Health
Week started by the American
Lung Association, to emphasize
the importance of taking care of
your lungs. Perhaps due to society’s
strong emphasis of cigarette
smoking being a direct culprit of
causing lung cancer, many people
who don’t smoke ironically may
not think too much about their
lung health, since the elimination
of smoking helps decrease the
chances of getting lung cancer.
The truth is, however, whether one
smokes or doesn’t, anyone with
lungs can get lung cancer.
Lung cancer disease is the number
one leading cause of cancerous
death in both men and women
and additionally, the number of
women who die from lung cancer
each year has practically doubled
in the last 30 years. Despite these
startling statistics, lung cancer
disease is often overlooked by
women, however, LUNG FORCE
Hero, La’Kesha Johnson, wants to
change that narrative, after having
gone through her own experience
with lung cancer.
Back in September 2014, at
just 43-years-old, Johnson originally
went to her doctor to have a
chest CT scan administered for a
non-related issue, when her doctor
detected a nodule on her right lung.
“I was taken aback…at the time,
I considered myself to be fairly
young when I was diagnosed,” said
Johnson. “Everyone would tell me
‘oh it’s nothing’ or ‘you don’t have
anything to worry about since you
don’t smoke.’” However, despite
being a non-smoker all of her life
and having no prior history of
lung cancer in her family, Johnson
received a second CT scan two
and a half months later, where the
radiologist confirmed the nodule
increased in size.
“It was hard for me,” said
Johnson. “I almost felt like I hit a
brick wall when I found out, but,
I stayed encouraged until I had the
surgery.”
In February 2015, Johnson had
surgery to remove the nodule and
it was afterward when Johnson
found out that it was cancerous,
but thanks to the early detection,
the stage 1A cancer didn’t
spread. Given everything Johnson
wasgoing through at the time, she
focused on being strong, staying
encouraged and relying on faith to
not only get her through that difficult
time but to mainly be there for
her now nine-year-old daughter,
Zöe, no matter the circumstances.
“I was very blessed to not have
to go through chemo[therapy] and
I didn’t have to have radiation
either,” Johnson said. “I was very
thankful to the Lord for helping me
through that and it being caught
early.”
Since the completion of her
surgery, Johnson continues to get
her CT scans done every year to
make sure her lungs remain healthy
and works towards maintaining a
healthier lifestyle for both her and
Zöe, including trying to stay away
from second-hand smoke.
“I find that people automatically
assume that I was a cigarette
smoker when I say that I had lung
cancer, but that’s not the case,”
said Johnson. “I’ve never smoked
before in my life and I want to
increase the awareness that anyone
can get lung cancer even if they
don’t smoke.”
Similar to Johnson, approximately
two-thirds of non-smokers
diagnosed with lung cancer are
women. Additionally, women are
twice as likely to develop lung
cancer than men, with an average
of one woman passing away every
seven minutes as a result of lung
cancer.
Amidst this information, fortunately
for women with lung
cancer, the chances of survival are
higher at all stages of the disease
compared to men.
For women who are at risk of
getting lung cancer, it’s important
to know how to recognize the
symptoms and when to get a
screening.
Thankfully, many Americans
are eligible for lung cancer screening
with Low-Dose CT (LDCT)
scan which is a fairly quick scan
that takes less than a minute to
complete and is used to detect lung
cancer early, when it’s more likely
to be curable.
For those who have been diagnosed
with lung cancer, to help
you get through the difficult time,
Johnson says it’s beneficial to
maintaining a healthier lifestyle,
avoid second-hand smoke and
exposure to radon, as well as
complete a CT scan. Additionally,
she also stresses the importance of
having a support system, relying
on faith and enjoying every moment
in life.
“I really have to take advantage
of every day because you
never know what will happen in
the next hour,” said Johnson. “I
really try to make sure I’m here
for everyday life has for me and
I enjoy and celebrate even the
smallest things…my time with
my daughter, my family…I take a
lot of pictures because tomorrow
is not promised and I’m going to
take advantage of every minute I
have with them.”
Unfortunately, lung cancer
takes the lives of many mothers,
sisters, aunts, and friends. So
especially this week, together with
LUNG FORCE Hero, La’Kesha
Johnson, let’s help raise awareness
for lung cancer and encourage
those who may be at risk to get the
scan so we increase the number of
lung cancer survivors.
For more information about
lung cancer please visit. www.
lung.org

May 11 - 17, 2018 | Orlando Advocate 9
Beauty
Faith
HEY MAMA, YOU DON’T HAVE
TO BE SUPERMOM
by Caroline Sumlin
Hey Mama, you don’t have to be
Supermom
Back in the day, I used to watch this
show called, Scrubs. Do you remember
it? You know, Donald Faison and some
other people? To be honest, I just watched
the show for Donald Faison because he
was from Clueless, and I loved the movie
Clueless when I was younger. There was
one thing I loved most about the show
— the theme song. I love theme songs in
general. Perhaps that makes me weird,
but, whatever. Anyway, the theme song
for Scrubs went like this:
I can’t do this all on my own. No, I’m
no, I’m no superman.
I’m no superman.
I loved the song so much that I looked
it up and put the full version on my iPod
Nano. Remember those? I’m taking you
back down memory lane, aren’t I? The
song is by a band called Laslo Bane. I
think I played that song at least 25 times
a day when I was in high school. It really
resonated with me because I was that girl
who always felt like she needed to be
superwoman. I thought that I needed to do
it all, be it all, and do everything perfectly.
I know I’m not the only one who has
ever felt this way.
I think part of the reason we tend to
have this mentality is because our society
tells us that we have to be perfect. Our
society tells us that the key to success is
to be “busy” and to run ourselves into the
ground and to live off of coffee and little
sleep. Our society makes us feel like we
should be able to do everything perfectly
and without help.
This is especially true in the Black community
and even more true for us Black
moms. This is especially, especially true
for Black, Christian mamas. We strive to
be the perfect Proverbs 31 woman, so we
hold ourselves up to the highest standards
and then pride ourselves into achieving
those standards with absolutely no help.
We are the keepers of the household, we
are the makers of the meals, we are the
cleaners of the spills, and we do it all
without showing an ounce of our exhaustion.
If we ask for help, we are viewed as
weak and, of course, that is a no-no.
I became a mom 3 months ago, and
now that I’m a mom, I have had many
moments being trapped inside the “supermom
mentality.” I was convinced I
didn’t need help when my daughter was
first born. I felt like I needed to do it all
and I needed to be perfect while doing so.
It took me crying out to God in a state
of exhaustion to realize that we put this
mentality on ourselves. Who is telling us
that we have to be supermom? Besides
society and pressure from social media,
there is no written document that states
that we have to conform to this “supermom
mentality.”
I’m here to tell you today that you don’t
have to do it all. You don’t have to be
supermom. That’s what the Holy Spirit
is for! Our God is the One who wants to
do it all and be it all for us.
“Each time he said, “My grace is all you
need. My power works best in weakness.”
So now I am glad to boast about my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ
can work through me.” (2 Corinthians
12:9 NLT)
Do you see that? We GET to be weak.
Holy Spirit wants us to! No more of this
strong front, dear friend. Lean into Christ.
Be weak. And let His grace be sufficient
for you.
You may be thinking, I hear what you’re
saying, but how? I just can’t let myself
be weak, or I don’t know where to start!
Girl, I hear you. Let’s talk about it.
ASK THE LORD FOR HELP
It sounds simple, but of course it isn’t.
Hear me out. It can be hard to ask someone
else for help. Personally, I don’t want
to impose or inconvenience someone, so I
just try to do everything by myself. When
I had my daughter, I didn’t ask anyone
for help except my husband. But, The
Lord knew that I needed so much help
as a sleep deprived, postpartum mama.
He sent me help that I could not refuse. I
would receive text messages from faithful
friends telling me that they were on the
way over to drop off some food. I didn’t
have to ask them for the very thing I
needed. Holy Spirit guided them to help
me when I needed it the most. All I had
to do was receive it with open arms and
be thankful. When you ask God for help,
He will meet you where you are and send
you help just as you need it.
LEAN ON YOUR SPOUSE AND
LOVED ONES
Mamas, your spouse and loved ones
are there for you. They WANT to help
and your partner NEEDS bonding time
with his child, too. And, of course, your
family and friends enjoy spending time
with the little ones as well. I know it
can be hard to not be the overbearing,
overprotective mama bear. Trust me. I’m
guilty of this, myself. I have a tendency
to hover over my husband instead of just
letting him have his time with our little
one. Hello? I should be napping as soon
as he gets home and takes her! Why do
I feel the need to keep hovering? Better
yet, why do I feel the need to ask myself,
“What needs to be done now?” instead of
taking the opportunity to rest. Now, I’m
not discouraging productivity, but there
is nothing wrong with saying, “no” to
those dishes and taking time to recharge
when you can.
Also, just talk to your spouse about
how you’re feeling. Don’t keep it in. He
doesn’t expect you to be supermom, I
promise.
SAY YES TO WHAT MATTERS
Everything is not created equal. As
women, and especially as moms, we often
say yes to everything. We try to do everything
and do it all well. Then, when we
get burned out and realize that our efforts
created mediocre results. We need to learn
to only tackle things that truly matter on a
daily basis. For me, that sometimes means
putting aside working on the budget to
help my stepson with homework. Or, that
might mean saying yes to quality time
with my spouse and saving that phone call
for tomorrow. When we choose just a few
things to focus on and do well instead of
loading our plates with all of the things,
we won’t feel so stretched thin and the
“supermom mentality” will fade.
Mamas, we need to realize that our
spouse and kids are who’s important. Not
what society expects of us, not what we
see other moms posting on social media,
not what our friends are doing with their
kids, etc. Our kids don’t care if our hair is
messy or if the house is clean. Our spouse
doesn’t care if our kids are perfectly
dressed or if we were able to finish that
load of laundry today. Our spouses love
us and our kids just need us. They beautifully
accept us as we are. In their eyes, we
are their supermoms. And I know that I
don’t have to finish all of the chores for
my husband to see me as a “superwife.”
Jesus loves us the same way. He meets
us right where we are and gives us grace.
We have nothing to prove. Nothing.
Now, go take a deep breath and hug
your kiddos. They love you.

10
Ben Carson’s effort to ‘reform’ housing
safety net would deepen poverty by
hurting poorest Americans
By Alex Schwartz - Originally Published in The Conversation
Orlando Advocate | May 11 - 17, 2018
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The Trump administration recently proposed
fundamental changes to how the federal
government helps low-income families pay for
housing.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary
Ben Carson claims his “welfare reform,” which
would jack up rents on the poorest Americans
and impose stricter work requirements, would
promote self-sufficiency and make federal housing
assistance fiscally sustainable.
As someone who has studied, taught and
written about housing policy for more than 25
years, I believe the proposal would do nothing
of the kind.
Housing welfare, by the numbers
About 4.8 million of the nation’s lowestincome
households currently receive housing
assistance from the federal government, a
figure that hasn’t changed much over the past
decade.
About 1 million households live in public
housing, 2.5 million receive housing choice
vouchers that subsidize the rents charged by private
landlords and 1.3 million live in apartment
buildings that are themselves directly supported
by the government.
These households earn very little income.
The average income of a housing choice voucher
recipient, for example, is US$14,454, while only
23 percent earn more than $20,000.
For decades, federal rental assistance ensured
that recipients paid no more than 30 percent
of their adjusted household income on rent. If
income goes down, they pay less. If it goes up,
they pay more. The cap is based on the notion,
long shared by policymakers and the real estate
industry, that housing is “affordable” when it
costs no more than 30 percent of a household’s
income.
The measure for income housing authorities
have used has traditionally been adjusted for
child care, medical expenses and other deductions.
Housing ‘reform’
The administration’s proposal would greatly
raise the rents that virtually all housing subsidy
recipients must pay – in three ways.
The rents for subsidy recipients who are
not elderly or disabled would increase from 30
to 35 percent of their income. The government
would no longer take child care and medical
expenses into account in determining rents. And
the minimum rent recipients must pay would
triple from $50 to $150 a month.
About 423,000 subsidy recipients currently
earn less than $2,000 a year and pay the minimum
rent of $50. Their rent would triple to $150
a month, which would consume a whole year of
income for a household earning $1,800.
Families with higher incomes would also see
sharp increases as well. A single-parent family
earning $25,000 but with $5,000 in child care
expenses would see its rent jump 46 percent from
about $500 to $729.
While the plan would keep elderly and
disabled people at a 30 percent cap, their incomes
would no longer by adjusted for medical
expenses and child care. Moreover, in order to
qualify for the exemption, every adult in the
household must be elderly or disabled.
A history of ‘reform’
Most fundamentally, the Trump administration
proposal would finally apply the controversial
welfare “reforms” that began in the 1990s
to federal housing assistance.
Welfare reform began under the Clinton
administration, which in 1996 replaced a
decades-old entitlement program that provided
aid to poor families with kids with a new one
that included work requirements and time
constraints. As a result, the number of families
on welfare plunged from 4.5 million in 1996 to
1.1 million last year.
The Trump administration has been pushing
to extend work requirements and sometimes
time limits to other safety net programs, such
as Medicaid and food stamps. And now, with
the latest proposal, the administration hopes to
apply them to housing assistance.
Although the details are yet to be worked
out, the administration’s bill would authorize
public housing authorities and private owners of
subsidized housing to impose work requirements
and time limits – and even increase some rents
above 35 percent of income.
Wider ramifications
While some policy analysts have previously
advocated that Washington apply time limits and
work requirements to housing assistance, these
ideas have generally not taken hold. There are
good reasons for this.
The United States confronts a housing
affordability crisis of epic proportions. By the
standard 30 percent of income measure, nearly
half of all renters cannot afford their housing,
and one-quarter spend at least half of their
income on rent.
The problem is far worse among very lowincome
renters, with 83 percent spending more
than 30 more percent of their income on rent and
56 percent spending 50 percent or more. With
cost burdens like these, people often struggle
to pay for food, transportation, health care and
other essentials. They are at high risk of eviction
and homelessness.
Employment is often of little help. About
half of the 8 million very low-income renters
who spend 50 percent or more of their income
on rent do in fact work. In only 12 of the nation’s
3,142 counties can a full-time worker earning
the minimum wage afford a one-bedroom home
at the local fair market rent – the rent that the
Housing and Urban Development department
deems suitable for a modest but adequate unit.
And average full-time earnings in numerous
occupations are also well below the income
necessary to afford the fair market rent. For
example, a child care worker in the U.S. earns an
average of $30,679, compared with the $35,680
necessary under the 30 percent standard to afford
the national average fair market rent on a
one-bedroom unit.
Another reason welfare reform’s emphasis
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on employment makes little sense for housing assistance is that most subsidy
recipients who could work already do. Overall, 28 percent of all housing assistance
recipients in 2017 worked. Two-thirds are either elderly or disabled. And most of
the rest are single mothers, many of whom already work – and those who don’t
often have young children.
Moreover, the cost of implementing work requirements would be substantial.
Housing authorities would need to create new data systems and devote staff time
to determine which subsidy recipients would be subject to the work requirements,
to monitor compliance with the requirements and impose sanctions when the
requirements are not satisfied.
In short, the proposed changes in federal housing policy would neither foster
economic self-sufficiency nor meaningful fiscal savings. They would deepen
poverty and worsen the housing affordability crisis.
Alex Schwartz is Professor of Urban Policy, The New School Alex Schwartz
is a member of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and is related to a
staff member of The Conversation US.