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PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310

PERMIT NO. 1179

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY1, 2025

VOL. 53 NO. 47 $1.00

Haitian – American Group

Condemns

Trump’s Mass

Deportation Plan

Submitted by Nycaribnews

A Haitian community organization has

vehemently denounced Donald Trump, the

US president-elect, for allegedly preparing to

proclaim a state of emergency to implement a

mass deportation operation that would involve

Haitian immigrants.

Executive Director Guerline Jozef praised

the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for

bringing a lawsuit to hold the US Immigration

and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency

accountable for providing specific information

about Trump’s implementation of his plan, he

noted, “Such a proposal represents an alarming

threat to human rights, the rule of law,

specifically those seeking asylum and safety.”

The new initiative will reportedly target

unauthorized immigrants.

According to Jozef, such a scheme would

cause “an unprecedented wave of detentions

and deportations that would disproportionately

impact Black and brown immigrants”.

“This plan risks further marginalizing

vulnerable populations including Haitian

migrants, many of whom fled severe insecurity,

gang violence, and humanitarian crises in

search of safety and stability in the United

States,” she noted.

Adding, “Mass deportations under the guise

(Cont’d on page 3)

Main suspect in Jamaican

Journalist Barbara Gayle

murder captured

By Sheri-kae McLeod

(Source: Caribbean

National Weekley)

The main suspect

in the brutal murder

Barbara Gayle

of veteran Jamaican court reporter Barbara

Gayle has been apprehended.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, police

captured the individual hiding in bushes along

Grange Lane in St. Catherine on Tuesday. His

identity has not been revealed.

Earlier in the day, Gayle’s stolen vehicle, a

2018 grey Mercedes-Benz 180 CL, was discovered

abandoned on Dyke Road in Portmore, St.

Catherine.

The 67-year-old journalist, a long-serving

court reporter for The Gleaner, was found dead

inside her Caymanas Estate home around 10:00

a.m. Monday by a neighbor. Authorities have

confirmed that she suffered a fatal throat slash

in what is being described as a gruesome act of

violence. Reports had indicated that her car and

Continue

reading

online at:

thewestside

gazette.com

Trump and Vance Sabotage

Bipartisan Funding Bill, Pushing

Government Toward Shutdown

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior

National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

President-elect Donald

Trump and Vice Presidentelect

J.D. Vance torpedoed

a bipartisan government

funding bill Wednesday,

plunging Congress into

chaos just days before a

looming shutdown. Their

joint statement threw the

stopgap measure’s passage

into serious doubt, especially

in the Republican-controlled

House where Trump’s sway

remains formidable.

The Westside Gazette Newspaper

The bill, designed to keep

the government funded until

March 14, now faces almost

certain collapse. Without

congressional action, a

shutdown will begin at 12:01

a.m. on Saturday. House

Speaker Mike Johnson’s

plan to avert that outcome

was already facing fierce

opposition from his party’s

far-right members. Trump

and Vance’s last-minute

intervention may have sealed

its fate.

“Republicans must GET

SMART and TOUGH. If

Democrats threaten to shut

down the government unless

we give them everything they

want, then CALL THEIR

BLUFF,” Trump and Vance

declared. They accused Senate

Majority Leader Chuck

Schumer and President Joe

Distinguished Alumni of

Broward County Public

Schools Recognized

at Broward Education Foundation’s

2024 Hall of Fame Award Breakfast

Presented by Publix Super Markets Charities

Ceremony Honored Education, Business

and Community Leaders

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. --

Distinguished leaders in education, business

and the community who are alumni of Broward

County Public Schools were honored at the

2024 Hall of Fame Award Breakfast presented

by Publix Super Markets Charities. The

celebration took place on Friday, December 1

at First Baptist Fort Lauderdale.

In addition to receiving their award at the

breakfast, the 2024 honorees are recognized

with an engraved granite star on the BrightStar

Credit Union “Walk of Fame” plaza at the

Broward County Public Schools district office

as well as on the Wall of Fame in the lobby

of the building. BrightStar Credit Union is a

longtime valued partner of Broward Education

Foundation.

As the clock ticks toward Saturday, there is no alternative

plan in sight. Trump’s influence over his party continues

to reshape Capitol Hill, with millions of Americans now

bracing for the fallout of a potential shutdown.

Biden of holding up aid to

farmers and disaster relief,

laying blame on Democratic

leadership.

The statement sparked

a wave of fear among

GOP lawmakers, with

many perceiving Trump’s

opposition as the final blow to

Johnson’s deal. It also raised

questions about whether

Johnson, facing a speakership

challenge in just over two

weeks, still retains Trump’s

crucial support.

Johnson unveiled the

text of the funding plan

Tuesday night, but rightwing

Republicans attacked

it for accommodating too

many Democratic priorities.

With conservative defections

threatening the bill’s passage,

Continue reading online at:

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Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

Submitted by Ciera Campbell

TAMARAC, FL – During the

City of Tamarac’s Regular

City Commission Meeting on

Wednesday, Dec. 11, the Tamarac

City Commission unanimously

appointed District 4 Commissioner

Dr. Kicia Daniel as the City’s Vice

Mayor.

Dr. Daniel, who has served on

the Tamarac City Commission since

November 2022, is also a Director

on the 2024-2025 Broward League

James Griffin, Principal Boyd H. Anderson High School;

Darrell Hardge, President, New Dimension International

Training & Consulting; Sue Colton, Board member, Broward

Education Foundation and Dr. Valerie Wanza, Chief Strategy

& Innovation Officer, Broward County Public Schools

Dr. Howard Hepburn, Superintendent, Broward County

Public Schools; Torey Alston, Executive Director &

CEO Greater Miami Expressway and James A. Knapp,

president & CEO Broward Education Foundation

(Photo credit: Downtown Photography)

of Cities Board of Directors.

“I am honored to step into the

role of Vice Mayor of Tamarac,” said

Dr. Daniel. “I will continue to work

alongside my fellow elected officials

and residents to meet the needs of

Tamarac families, businesses and

constituents.”

Dr. Daniel’s appointment marks

a historic milestone. She becomes

the first African American woman

to serve in this capacity in the City’s

61-year history.

A leader in education, Dr.

@TheWestsideGazetteNewspaper

A Holiday

MESSAGE

from Bobby R. Henry, Sr.,

Publisher of the

Westside Gazette

This holiday season,

our heartfelt wish

for all is PEACE.

“For unto us a Child is born,

unto us a Son is given; and the

government will be upon His

shoulder. And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

— Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

As we celebrate, let us embrace the

diversity of traditions that bring joy

and meaning to this season:

• Merry Christmas to those celebrating

the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace.

• Happy Kwanzaa to those honoring

the rich cultural heritage, unity, and

values that uplift our community.

• Happy Hanukkah to those

commemorating the Festival of

Lights and the triumph of faith and

perseverance.

• And to all others celebrating different

holidays or simply reflecting during

this time, we wish you blessings of love,

joy, and togetherness.

This season, let us pray:

• For those who have suffered, that

they may find relief and healing.

• For those once hated, that they may

be embraced with respect and love.

• For conflicts to be resolved with

understanding and tranquility,

replacing the shadows of war with the

light of peace.

(Cont’d on page 5)

Historic Appointment: Dr. Kicia Daniel Becomes Tamarac’s First

African American Woman Vice Mayor In The City’s 61-Year History

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

Thursday

Dec 26 TH

Fri

78°

71°

Cloudy

Sunrise: 7:04am

77°

70°

77°

68°

76°

67°

Sunset: 5:35pm

Sat Sun Mon Tues

78°

67°

WESTSIDE GAZETTE IS A MEMBER:

National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)

Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA)

Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)

78°

66°


momentous occasion

er students, faculty,

, and friends to

PAGE 2 • DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025

the University’s

lishment – securing

position in Home

gious “Retool Your

ition and receiving a

,000 grant dedicated

ancement.

ler temperatures and

the collective spirit

ost 135 participants,

epot Daytona Beach

r Therese Watsonforces

in yesterday’s participated in the vote for B-CU. These enhancements

ort. will help create more vibrant and engaging spaces for

Spreading Their mission Holiday Magic with Black Excellence:

, involving our students to retreat on campus for a brain break or

Zeta

projects

Chi’s Mission of Joy and Love

ssembling bookcases find inspiration through the downtime.”

tdoor dining sets to Home Depot’s “Retool Your School” program,

rcade games, foosball established in 2009, has been a beacon for positive change,

ball hoops, hockey providing over $9.25 million in campus improvement

tennis tables. Even grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities

er conditions couldn’t (HBCUs). Beyond the competition, the Office of Alumni

ication, with the only Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

www.thewestsidegazette.com

iveness after

ated service.

e to 30,000

have been

or at least

ut receiving

ncome-driven

will now see

n.

Biden credited the success

of these relief efforts to the

corrective measures taken

to address broken student

loan programs. He asserted

that these fixes have removed

barriers preventing borrowers

from accessing the relief they

were entitled vibe like to no under other. the law.

College

Prep

behement

adjective

(noun)

Word of

the Week

being at rest; inactive or

motionless; quiet; still: a

towering behemoth.”

quiescent mind.

someone or something that

is abnormally large and

powerful.

Comes from the Hebrew

word b’hemah (beast)

Bro. Von C. Howard

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Close your

eyes and imagine this: a lively beat rolling

down the streets of Broward County,

Florida, not the jingling of sleigh bells

but the unmistakable groove of “Atomic

Dog.” That’s right—Santa Que and his

Que Elves are coming to town! With

the bass bumping and the purple-andgold

sleigh stocked with gifts, they’re

delivering more than just toys—they’re

spreading Black joy, love, and a holiday

HOW TO USE IN A SENTENCE:

“The newly built skyscraper

loomed over the city like a

Word Search - By Kamar Jackson

Bro. Michael Bostick, Esq.

The president outlined the

broader achievements of his

administration in supporting

students and borrowers,

including achieving the most

significant increases in Pell

Grants in over a decade, aimed

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

This cherished tradition started in 2019 by three brothers of

Zeta Chi—Von C. Howard, Michael T. Bostick, and Chad E.

Walker—is more than a feel-good holiday event. It’s a powerful

movement of giving, unity, and excellence that touches the

hearts of families across our community.

From Dream to Tradition

It all started with a simple yet impactful idea: roll through the

neighborhoods on Christmas Eve and spread the season’s magic. In 2019,

Santa Que made his first appearance, leading the charge as children ran

out to

quiescent

greet the purple-and-gold sleigh, their faces lit up with joy.

Then 2020 came, and while the world slowed down, the mission didn’t.

Santa Que pivoted, delivering gift cards directly to families who needed

them most, proving that love always finds a way.

In 2021, [ kwee-es-uhnt, the tradition took an kwahy- epic turn. Imagine ] Santa Que walking

into a store, picking out carts full of toys, and paying for everything—on

the spot. Shoppers were stunned; some cried as they witnessed Black love

in action. By 2023, the initiative took center stage at local schools, where

wide-eyed students had a front-row seat to the holiday magic.

HOW TO USE QUIESCENT IN A

SENTENCE

Friendly Competition with a Purpose

What fuels Zeta Chi’s holiday mission is the undeniable energy and

camaraderie of the brotherhood. Last year, Bro. Immediate Past Grand

Keeper of Finance Johnnie B. Smith, Jr. set the fundraising bar sky-high,

ensuring It’s possible Omicron Epsilon that other Chapter (Bethune-Cookman volcanoes with University) was on

top in the Christmas Challenge.

long

But the

quiescentperiods

Fourteen Knights of Purple

may

Reign

also

(ZX

have

2020) and The Talented

Tenth subtle Minus but One protracted (ZX 2022) weren’t warning far behind. periods Together, their collective

generosity pushed the mission to greater heights, showing that a little

as well.

friendly competition can create a whole lot of love.

And it’s not just the brothers stepping up. For the second year running,

Smitty’s Wings Sistrunk opened its doors for the annual toy drive, where

the community turned out strong with toy donations and holiday cheer.

Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

Leia’s Mathematics

Corner

Word Search

List Compiled

by Kamar

Jackson,

Freshmen

at Dillard

High School

SANTA’S ELVES WRAPPING PRESENTS

SANTA’S ELVES ARE WRAPPING GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS.

EACH ELF CAN WRAP 5 PRESENTS IN AN HOUR. IF 4

ELVES WORK TOGETHER FOR 3 HOURS, HOW MANY

PRESENTS WILL THEY WRAP IN TOTAL?

125

+ 25

276

- 24

Created by Leia Palmer 3rd grader!


www.thewestsidegazette.com

Return of

‘Kids for Cash’

and a Look

Within

By Robert C. Koehler

More than 15 years after the

“kids for cash” scandal shocked the

nation, it’s back, stirring not just

public incredulity but, for some,

soul-slicing memories of hell on

Earth.

This is thanks to Joe Biden’s

decision to grant clemency to

Michel Conahan, one of two

juvenile-court judges in Luzerne

County. Pennsylvania, convicted

of accepting cash from private

detention centers – as much

as $2.8 million over a period of

about six years – in exchange for

sending them children (my God,

as young as 8-years-old) convicted

of petty offenses, such as fighting,

shoplifting, underage drinking,

to serve prolonged sentences in

prison.

Conahan, along with Mark

Ciavarella, had collected cash for

sending more than 2,300 children

to prison. Many of them were

scarred for life by this experience.

Some committed suicide.

“My son did nothing more than

anything that most of us as kids

did, you know, experimenting

and living his life and making

mistakes, that we usually all get

to just learn and evolve and grow

from. He did nothing more than

be at an underaged drinking party

with tons of other kids, but he was

caught.”

This is Sandy Fonzo, speaking

recently with Amy Goodman in

a highly emotional interview

on Democracy Now, in the wake of

the news of Conahan’s clemency.

Her son, a senior in high school,

a star wrestler, spent a month in

the juvenile detention center just

as his senior year was beginning.

He came out lost, emotionally

shattered, wound up getting into

a fight and had to stand before

Judge Ciavarella again. This time

he was walloped with an eightmonth

sentence.

“He lost his senior year.” Sandy

said.

“He never had the chance to

wrestle again, any chance that he

had for a scholarship. He came out

of there very bitter, very angry,

pent up with anger. He couldn’t

look you in the eye. I don’t know

what happened in that facility. My

son was a very big, strong, proud

boy, and he came out broken.

“. . . It changed him. It broke him.

It stole his youth, his childhood.

He would never, ever recover. And

it just became too much, and he

shot himself in the heart.”

Kids for cash! Her son wound up

killing himself – and that’s just

one story out of, presumably,

thousands. A kid does a “bad”

thing and, whoops, off to prison

with you! At the time, I wrote in a

column:

“Many of these kids had never

been in trouble before and many

of the offenses that netted jail

time were trivial in the extreme.

Sixteen-year-old Hillary T., for

instance, who lampooned her

assistant principal on MySpace,

was given a three-month sentence.

(With a lawyer’s help, she got out

after one.) Kurt K. was in the

company of someone who was

caught shoplifting at Wal-Mart;

accused of being a ‘lookout,’ he

wound up doing almost a year of

jail time. Jamie Q. exchanged slaps

with a friend during an argument;

she also was sent away for almost

a year. She was 14.”

While the judicial corruption of

“kids for cash” is glaring, that’s

hardly the entirety of the issue.

As I read and remember the

details, I see something far larger

quietly looming in the background,

behind the judges’ criminality –

behind what I called at the time

“the blurring of the line between

profit and state.” It’s the system

itself: structured on the value

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

Deeply Rooted

Harris Urges Young Americans To

‘Stay In The Fight’

By Jovonne Ledet

In Post-Election Speech

Vice President Kamala Harris urged her

supporters to “stay in the fight” following her

election loss to President-elect Donald Trump.

On Tuesday (December 17), Harris delivered

her first major remarks since conceding the

election to Trump, per Politico.

“In moments like this, the true test of our

character is how resilient and persistent we

are to pursue the future that we all can see,”

Harris said during a speech in Maryland. “Do

we throw up our hands, or do we roll up our

sleeves?”

During the speech, Harris declined to

include details about her next political move,

which has been rumored to be either a run for

California governor in 2026 or a presidential

run in 2028. However, Harris did confirm that

she would remain involved in politics.

“No one can walk away,” the vice president

Missouri’s death row had

nearly 100 inmates in the

1990s. Now, it has 8

By Jim Salter,

The Associated Press

(Source: Miami Times)

Missouri ‘s status as one

of the most active death

penalty states is about

to change for one simple

reason: The state is running

out of inmates to execute.

The lethal injection

of Christopher Collings

on Dec. 3 left just eight

men on death row — a

figurative term since

condemned Missouri

inmates are housed

with other prisoners. By

contrast, nearly 100 people

were living with a death

sentence three decades ago.

Three of the eight

Missouri inmates will

almost certainly live out

their lives in prison after

being declared mentally

incompetent for execution.

Court appeals continue for

the other five, and no new

executions are scheduled.

Missouri isn’t alone.

Across the nation, the

number of people awaiting

the ultimate punishment

has declined sharply since

the turn of the century.

“We are in a very,

very different place than

we were 25 years ago

,and that’s for very good

reasons,” said Robin Maher,

executive director of the

Death Penalty Information

Center, a nonprofit that

doesn’t take a position on

the death penalty but is

critical of problems in its

application.

The Legal Defense

Fund’s Death Row USA

report showed 2,180

people with pending

death sentences this year,

down from 3,682 in 2000.

Missouri’s peak year was

1997, when 96 people were

on death row.

After reaching a height

of 98 U.S. executions in

1999, the annual number

hasn’t topped 30 since

2014. So far this year, 23

Haitian – American Group Condemns

Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan from FP

of a ‘national emergency’ are not only cruel but also a

blatant abuse of power,” Jozef added. “This is yet another

tactic to dehumanize immigrants and perpetuate racism.”

According to her, the Haitian Bridge Alliance has

urged all community leaders, advocates, and legislators to

oppose “these dangerous proposals” together.

Jozef stated, “We urge the incoming administration,

Congress, and the American public to resist efforts to

normalize xenophobic policies under the pretext of national

security.”

“We further call on the Congress to overrule Trump’s

proposal by passing a joint resolution out of the House and

Senate.”

Immigration advocates in New York recently voiced

their anger and concern over the incoming Trump

administration’s plans to repeal a federal policy in the

United States that prohibits ICE agents from making

arrests of Caribbean and other immigrants at or close to

“sensitive locations,” like places of worship, schools, and

hospitals, without supervisors’ prior consent.

According to immigration activists, Trump is anticipated

to revoke this provision along with several other planned

changes to immigration law as early as January 20, 2025,

his first day in office.

Photo: Getty Images

said. “We must stay in the fight because that

is the responsibility, in my opinion, that comes

with the privilege of being an American.”

Harris has kept a low profile since

conceding in the 2024 presidential election.

She reportedly spent a week in Hawaii with

her family before returning to office.

Earlier this week, Harris appeared at the

Democratic National Committee’s holiday

reception, where she thanked staffers and

encouraged them to stay engaged.

Harris on Tuesday directed her message to

younger voters.

“This struggle is not new: It goes back

nearly 250 years ago to Lexington and Concord,

generation after generation,” Harris said. “It

has been driven by those who love our country,

cherish its ideals, and refuse to sit passive

while our ideals are under assault.”

executions have been carried out —

six in Alabama, five in Texas, four

in Missouri, three in Oklahoma,

two in South Carolina and one each

in Georgia, Utah and Florida. Two

more are scheduled: Wednesday in

Indiana and Thursday in Oklahoma.

Use of the death penalty has

declined in part because many

states have turned away from it.

Twenty-three states and the District

of Columbia have abolished the

punishment, and five others have

moratoriums.

Even in active death penalty

states, prosecutors in murder cases

are far more inclined to seek life in

prison without parole.

In the 1990s, the nation was

typically seeing over 300 new death

sentences each year. By contrast,

21 people were sentenced to death

nationwide in 2023.

Continue reading online at:

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DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025 • PAGE 3

US Congresswoman

Yvette D. Clarke urges

Biden to protect

Black immigrants

By Yvette D. Clarke

(Source: CMC News)

WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) –

On Tuesday, Jamaican American Democratic

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke joined lawmakers

and immigration advocates in urging the Joe Bidenled

U.S. administration to protect Black immigrant

communities during the lame duck session. The group

expressed particular concern about how Presidentelect

Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policies

could negatively impact Black communities, as well as

families of mixed immigration status.

Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants

and representative of the predominantly Caribbean

9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, held a press

conference at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. alongside

her congressional colleagues and advocacy groups.

The press event highlighted their shared commitment

to ensuring that Black immigrants are protected and

supported in the face of potential changes to U.S.

immigration policy.

The press conference came on the heels of a letter

Clarke and her colleagues sent to Biden, urging him to

exercise his existing legal authority and adopt several

executive actions.

These include, extending and re-designating

Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for currently

designated countries; clearing the TPS processing

backlog; finalizing a rule to provide auto-extensions for

work permits; taking immediate steps to priorities the

processing of work permits across all categories; and

designating special student relief (SSR) to Nigerian F-1

students studying in the United States.

“During President-elect Trump’s previous term,

we saw the Trump administration enact detrimental

policies, such as expanding migrant detention programs

and building a wall along the US-Mexico Border,”

lawmakers wrote in their letter. “Further in 2019, we

witnessed Immigration and Customs Enforcement

detain migrants at record-high levels with Black

detainees facing abuse at disproportionate rates.”

“With his pledge to conduct the largest mass

deportation in history and enlist the military to carry

out this plan, we are extremely concerned that people

of African descent will be targeted at higher rates,”

they added. “These actions are imperative to protect

innocent people and families from further disruptions

to their lives.”

The advocacy groups that joined the congressional

representative to show support and solidarity for this

effort included Nils Kinuani, African Communities

Together (ACT); Ronald Claude, Black Alliance for

Just Immigration (BAJI); Gbenga Ogunjimi, Nigerian

Centre; and Daniel Tse, Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA).

“The scapegoating of immigrants and immigration

has placed Black immigrants at a dangerous crossroads,

where they are both targeted by harmful rhetoric and

Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com


PAGE 4 • DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025

Westside Gazette

Calendar of Events

Kwanzaa event in Fort Lauderdale

Kwanzaa Ujamaa Celebration

Author Patti Roth

Kwanzaa is a holiday that focuses on African-American

heritage and values. Bass Park will celebrate Kwanzaa

Ujamaa, the fourth day, with a free event in Fort Lauderdale.

Ujamaa means cooperative economics and is the fourth

principle of Kwanzaa.

The Kwanzaa Ujamaa event in 2024 is 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, December 27, at Bass Park with Afrocentric entertainment

and free entry. Bass Park is at 2750 NW 19th St.,

Fort Lauderdale 33311.

Kwanzaa Celebration

Spady Museum invites families to celebrate Kwanzaa

with purpose (Nia), Kuumba (Creativity) and Umija (Unity),

Thursday, Dec. 26 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., at Spady Musum,

170 N.W. Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444.

Virtual Kwanzza

Mayor Rodney Harris invites you to Virtuak Kwanzaa in

the Gardens, Saturday, Dec. 26 at 4 p.m. Live Entertainment

Cultural Pertormances History/Origin of Kwanzaee

and more. Watch Live Youtube Miami Gardens Public

Affairs FB Live City of Miami Gardens, FL Government

For more info call (786) 237-5079.

Event

Mén Beni Gardening Presents - Kwanzaa - Umoja Thursday,

Dec. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1p.m., EST, Arch Creek Park

1855 N.E. 135th St., North Miami Beach, FL 33181

Part of the 2024 - Kwanzaa - Environmental Edition collection.

Honoring Mama IMA, we set the foundation for

Kwanzaa with an Adinkra art workshop, fostering creativity

and sustainable practices.For more details, visit

Eventbrite.com.

Celebrating

M Ensemble Company Celebrating 53rd in the Spirit of

Kwanzaa, Friday, Dec. 27 from 7 p.m., at Sandrell Rivers

Theater, 6103 N.W. Seventh Ave., Miami, FL 33127

Tickets can be purchased at EVENTBIRITE.COM

For more Info call (305) 705-3218 Senior/ Student and

Group Rates Are Available.

Kwanzaa 365 Live

*Saturday, Dec. 28, from 3 - 6 at VFWPost 8195, 4432

Pembroke Pines, Rd., Hollywood, FL 33021.

* Tuesday, Dec. 31, from 4 to 8 p.m., at House of Kuumba,

745 S.W. Fourth St., Dania Beach, FL 33004.

* Wednesday, Jan. 1 2025 from 6 a.m. to 12 noon at

Hollywood Beach, FL A1A N. Ocan Dr.,/Evans.

4th Annual Kwanzaa Celebration

Join us for a vibrant in-person Kwanzaa celebration

filled with cultural traditions, music, dancing, and joy!,

Saturday, Dec. 28, 2:30 to - 5 p.m., at Where: Gaines

Park Rear Lawn, 1501 N. Australian Ave., West Palm

Beach. AARLCC of Palm Beach County, Inc.

Cost: Free

Celebrate this cultural event with the community! For

more details, visit Eventbrite.com.

Kwanzaa Celebration

Mary Williams Woodard Kwanzaa Celebration, Saturday,

Dec. 28 from 3 to 6 p.m., at Samuel K. Johnson

Youth Center, 4900 N.W. 12th Ave., Miami, FL 33127.

Kwanzza Celebration Ujamaa

Post 8195 Veterans of Foreign Wars presents Kwanzza

Celebration Ujamaa, Sunday, Dec. 29, at 3 p.m., at

4414 Pembroke Rd., West Park, FL 33023. For more info

call (754) 423-8480.

Celebration

Reclaiming our Royality Kwanzaa Celebration, Sunday,

Dec. 29, from 2 to 6 p.m., at 1409 N.W. Sixth St., Fort

Laudedale, FL 33311. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

com.

Celebration

Join us for an exciting Ujamaa celebration filled with

education and entertainment!

Sunday, Dec. 29, Northwood Rd, West Palm Beach

Hosted By: Ayze Hant of Let It Fo IC

Event Highlights:

• Community Market

• Kinara Lighting Ceremony

• Guest Speakers

• Food and Drinks Available for Purchase

Details:

• It a cover Charge

• Program Start Time: 6 p.m.

• Parking: Available on Northwood Road, 24th Street,

and in the parking lot behind Ivndr Lounge on 23rd

Street.

For vendor inquiries, email Info@vndrife.com. Don’t

miss this special celebration of culture and community!

Haitian Independence Day

Wednesday,

Jan. 1, 2025

from 2 to 6 p.m.,

EST at Miramar

Multi-Service

Complex 6700

Miramar

Parkway Miramar,

FL 33023

Deeply Rooted

LOCAL HAPPENINGS IN

BROWARD MIAMI-DADE

AND PALM BEACH

COUNTIES

HAVE YOUR COMMUNITY EVENTS

PLACED ON THIS PAGE

email:wgproof@thewestsidegazette.com

*********************************

Celebrate Announcements:

Call -- (954) 525-1489

Happy Birthday * Weddings

* Anniversaries

Retirements * Congratulations

The Westside Gazette Newspaper

Wishes Our

Advertisers, Readers, Supporters,

A Happy Kwanzaa

STAY

CONNECTED --

www.thewestsidegazette.com

HOLLYWOOD HILLS HIGH CLASS OF 1975

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

SOUVENIR JOURNAL 7860 W

COMMERCIAL BLVD UNIT 830 LAUDERHILL,

FL 33351

Greetings,

On behalf of the Hollywood Hills High Class of 1975 Alumni

Association - “The Class of Classes”, you are cordially

invited to support our 50th Year Reunion Celebration! The

purpose of our association and this event gives us an opportunity

to:

REUNITE - REMINICE- REMEMBER PAST CLASSMATES - CEL-

EBRATE OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND MORE IMPOR-

TANTLY, ASSIST ALUMNI AND THE COMMUNITY THROUGH

CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES, PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS TO LO-

CAL DESERVING STUDENTS AND FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS

BETWEEN THE ALUMNI AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY!

Thus, we ask for your support of this event by becoming

a Sponsor, publishing an ad in our Souvenir Journal, and/

or by making a Donation, which we will recognize your

support of our efforts. The Souvenir Journal will be a commemorative

keepsake for our members and provide an

excellent resource for you to promote your business to our

members and the community.

Sponsorship:

We would like to present three sponsorship opportunities

Spartan, Orange, and Blue. Each level includes a special

recognition in our Souvenir Journal. As a sponsor, you

will not only promote your business to our alumni but also

demonstrate your commitment to community building.

Dear Alumni of the Hollywood Hills High School Class of

1975,

As we approach our much anticipated 50th Class Reunion,

we have an incredible opportunity to come together

and create lasting memories while supporting our

alma mater and each other. To make this celebration truly

special, we are excited to offer the chance for classmates,

businesses, and community members to become

sponsors and place ads in our official Hollywood Hills High

School Class of ’75 Reunion Souvenir Journal.

The Hollywood Hills High School Class of ’75 Reunion Souvenir

Journal will be a beautiful, commemorative keepsake

that will be distributed at the reunion and cherished

for years to come. It will feature personal messages, business

advertisements, and shout-outs from classmates,

family, and community partners.

We are reaching out to YOU, our classmates, to canvas

potential sponsors and help fill the Ad Journal with

well-wishes, memories, and business advertisements. Your

support will help us cover event costs, fund class activities,

and contribute to our scholarship fund, ensuring a legacy

of support for future generations.

How You Can Support

1.Sponsor a Page or Place an Ad – Showcase your business,

recognize someone special, promote your services,

celebrate your personal milestones, family achievements,

or share a message of support to your classmates.

2. Canvas Individuals, the Community, and Local Businesses

– Reach out to friends, family, local businesses,

family-owned companies, and community partners who

may want to advertise to the reunion audience. Send potential

sponsors the form to submit their ads and payment.

Need Help or Have Questions?

If you have any questions, please reach out through

our Hollywood Hills Class of 1975 Alumni email at HOLLY-

WOODHILLSCLASSOF75@GMAIL or voicemail, or text (954)

900-9329.

Follow @TheWestsideGazette Newspaper on Social Media

+ WATCH episodes of the 2-Minute Warning via YT or FB

www.thewestsidegazette.com

Kwanzaa Ujima

(Collective Work & Responsibility)

Celebration at AARLCC

-All-ages event with music, dance, activities, plays,

spoken word & more -

BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Kwanzaa Ujima 2024, a community

celebration for all, is scheduled from 11AM to 4PM,

December 28 at Broward County's African American Research

Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC), 2650 Sistrunk

Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311. This free event features

music, dance, drumming, dance workshops, crafts, storytelling,

songs, giveaways, treats, an edutainment event by

Simunye, a theatrical performance featuring the Village

Academy and spoken word by Art Prevails. Featured author

Queen Mother Olori Iya Orite Olasowo-Adefunmi will

discuss her book, Seeds of Awakening: The Creation of Oyotunji

African Kingdom 1970-1995.

Highlights of Kwanzaa Ujima 2024 include:

• Kwanzaa Marketplace: Local vendors with unique items

for sale

• African Dance Family Workshop

• Face Painting

• Author Talk with Queen Mother Olori Iya Orite

Olasowo-Adefunmi (Noon)

• Drumming Procession (2PM)

• Simunye Performance: The History of Kwanzaa (2PM)

• Theatrical Performance featuring Village Academy

Youth Theatre Company

• Stories and Songs

• Make-and-take Kwanzaa activities

• Art Prevails Spoken Word Performance

• Fresh Fruit Giveaways

"Kwanzaa Ujima 2024 is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate

Broward County's rich African American heritage

and strengthen our community bonds," says Broward

County Library Director Allison Grubbs. "It's a reminder of

the power of unity and the importance of working together

to build a better future for our community."

Admission, parking and all Kwanzaa activities are free but

registration is requested. Food trucks will be onsite. For more

information, please contact Ramona La Roche, rlaroche@

broward.org or (954) -357-6227.


Deeply Rooted

CDC Reports South Carolina Legionella Outbreak Linked

to Industrial Water Jet Cutters and Floor Scrubbers

www.thewestsidegazette.com

DECEMBER 26, 2024 -JANUARY 1, 2025 •PAGE 5

Urbanization, climate change, and aging infrastructure are contributing to the rise in Legionnaires disease cases.

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior

National Correspondent

@StacyBrownMedia

A recent investigation by the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention and the

South Carolina Department of Health and

Environmental Control has linked an outbreak

of Legionnaires’ disease to a manufacturing

facility’s water jet cutters and floor scrubbers.

The outbreak, which occurred between August

and November 2022, resulted in 34 cases of

legionellosis, 15 hospitalizations, and two

deaths.

The investigation found that Legionella

pneumophila sequence type 36, a particularly

virulent strain, was isolated from two water jet

Fort Lauderdale Sailor Supports Navy Reserve Mission

at Home and Abroad

HOUSTON – Logistics Specialist

2nd Class Petty Officer Carl

Roche, a native of Fort Lauderdale,

Florida, serves as a Sailor in the

U.S. Navy Reserve and is assigned

to Navy Reserve Center (NRC)

Houston.

Roche joined the Navy 7½ years

ago, seeking an organization

emphasizing discipline and

professionalism.

“I chose the Navy because I knew

it would provide the opportunity to

travel and experience more while

maintaining a disciplined and

LS2 Carl Roche

(Photo By Cmdr. Cheryl Collins)

active environment,” Roche said.

their process as smooth as possible. I also

As a logistics specialist, Roche manages serve as the assistant command fitness leader,

tools, supplies, and resources, ensuring supporting Physical Readiness Tests to keep

mission readiness for both active and Reserve our Sailors mission ready.”

Sailors.

Sailors like Roche are vital to the Navy’s

“My role involves providing everything global mission, showcasing the strength

from office supplies to jet engines,” Roche said. and adaptability of the Reserve Force.

“It’s a job with significant responsibility, but I Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of the Navy

enjoy what I do.”

Reserve and commander of the Navy Reserve

In addition to his logistical duties, Roche Force, emphasized the importance of this

supports reservists at Navy Reserve Center contribution, “Our Reserve Force is essential

Houston, helping them balance military and to the Navy’s mission, providing strategic

civilian life.

depth and operational flexibility,” Lacore said.

“I help bridge the gap between military Roche reflected on some of his proudest

and civilian life for our reservists,” Roche accomplishments during his Navy career.

said. “From uniforms and meals to assisting “One of my proudest accomplishments is

during drill weekends, my goal is to make being named Junior Sailor of the Quarter three

Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

I Upended My Life to Take Care of Mama.

It Was One of the Best Decisions I Ever Made.

Deaconess Marie Trice

​By Hazel Trice Edney

PART 2

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - It

was an autumn morning in

2018 when my phone rang

in Washington, DC and I’ll

never forget the sound of

Mama’s voice on the line. She

was calling from her home in

Virginia, 100 miles away. Her

voice, normally warm and

sweet, was instead rife with

anger.

“Who took the knobs off

my stove?!” she demanded.

My heart broke toward her.

All she wanted was to fry

herself an egg for breakfast.

How could I tell her that

we, her four adult children,

had met and decided to have

the knobs removed from her

kitchen stove? In order to

protect her life – we could

never again allow her to cook

on an open range because

her doctor had told us that

she was in the early stages of

Alzheimer’s/Dementia?

How could I tell her that

the stove where she had for

decades lovingly cooked all of

our family’s favorites during

the holidays was now off

limits to her – forever. Her

fried chicken, mac & cheese,

sweet potato and apple pies

would only be tasted in our

imitation recipes.

Hearing her angst, I

responded quickly in what

I thought was the best way

possible at that time in order

to avoid traumatizing her. I’m

sorry, but I lied. I told Mama

that the stove was broken and

Mama, award-winning Gospel

singer Deaconess Marie Trice, and I

enjoying a sweet moment together

before her bedtime early this year.

She had just turned 90.

that my son, her grandson,

Monte, had removed the

knobs temporarily until he

had time to fix it.

That did it. She slowly

calmed down. After all, in

her eyes, Monte could do no

wrong. We advised her to

start heating up frozen meals

in the microwave instead.

As the disease progressed,

it was not long after that

difficult conversation that

A Holiday MESSAGE from FP

True equality must be the goal of society, ensuring everyone has enough to eat, proper

shelter, access to healthcare, meaningful work, and the chance for an excellent education.

When these blessings are shared, all of humanity is uplifted.

Atonement requires the courage to acknowledge past wrongs, make amends, and move

forward with integrity. It is not about assigning blame but about stepping into the light of

accountability and allowing that light to heal and transform.

In moments of solitude and adversity, may we have the courage to do what is right,

guided by the goodness of God. When we embrace the PEACE that comes from Him, fear

loses its grip, and we are empowered to live with joy and purpose.

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

— Luke 2:11 (NKJV)

This holiday season and always, may His eternal PEACE rule with truth, fairness, and

love. Let us rejoice in the blessings of each new day, remembering that “from the fullness of

His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” — John 1:16 (NIV)

We, the staff and family of the Westside Gazette, extend our warmest greetings to you

and yours. May God’s grace, mercy, and love surround you during this season and always.

Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, and

joyous celebrations to all faiths and traditions. May the gift of

PEACE be shared with everyone!

It has been reported in 39 countries so far in 2022, and most of them are having their

first-ever cases of the disease, according to the WHO.

(Photo: iStockphoto/NNPA)

cutters and a floor scrubber used at the facility.

These machines, which aerosolize water, were

identified as the likely sources of infection

after multiple employees across different shifts

reported symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease

and Pontiac fever.

The outbreak came to light in September

2022 when three employees tested positive

for Legionella through urinary antigen tests.

Following these reports, the health department

issued a statewide advisory and worked with

facility management to notify employees and

encourage testing.

Health officials identified 10 confirmed

cases of Legionnaires’ disease, 20 probable

cases, and four probable cases of Pontiac fever.

The affected employees ranged in age from 18

to 65, with a median age of 40 years younger

than the typical demographic for Legionnaires’

disease. Men accounted for nearly 68 percent

of the cases.

The outbreak predominantly affected

we made another sacrificial

decision. We knew that

Mama could no longer live

alone. Period. We sought

professional in home care. But

that assistance was limited.

I resolved that the love

that she had bestowed upon

our family all of our lives was

enough for me to upend my

life in order to now take care

of her. So, I moved, a hundred

miles outside of D.C., to

become her primary caregiver

for as long as she needs me. For

me, it required maintaining

my home and business in D.C.

while commuting to DC often

and assuring that she is never

aAAA

This Week in Health: Reduce Holiday Stress

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! We have arrived at that

festive time of the year that brings friends and

family together in celebration. For many, the

holiday season also brings more than a dose

of stress. Manage stress before it becomes a

holiday downer. Sharing and giving are

important but take time for self-care

activities.

SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH

The American Heart Association (AHA) wants

to remind us all that taking care of ourselves is

critical to good heart health and overall wellbeing.

Self-care helps us to recharge. Try these

proven activities anytime, anywhere.

• Get some alone time. It’s okay to take a

breather when things get stressful.

• Talk to a friend. A chat (or venting

session) can help reduce stress.

alone.

It’s a decision that

thousands of family members

around the country are making

every day. An AARP article

reports that particularly

African Americans have a

sense of community and

culture when it comes to

caregiving. For me, it was just

pure love.

I moved in just as

COVID-19 hit the U. S.

Thankfully, neither Mama;

nor I caught the virus during

the pandemic. But there is

no one I’d rather have been

quarantined with. Still, it was

almost impossible to protect

Westside Health Brief

Marsha Mullings, MPH

December 24, 2024

employees working on the third shift, with the

highest attack rate at 3.8 percent. Prolonged

and overnight exposure may have contributed

to the higher rate, investigators surmised.

A comprehensive environmental

investigation involved testing 316 water

samples from various sources within the

facility. Legionella bacteria were detected in

samples from two water jet cutters, which

operated with water temperatures ideal for

bacterial growth, and one-floor scrubber used

to clean water overspray from the jet cutters.

The machines’ ability to aerosolize water made

them effective vectors for spreading Legionella

bacteria throughout the facility.

Upon confirmation of the contamination,

facility management took immediate action.

Both water jet cutters and all floor scrubbers

were taken out of service on September 18,

2022. Water jet cutters were decontaminated

using mechanical maintenance and biocide

treatments and resumed operation on November

her from an injury related to

her instability on her feet from

the Alzheimer’s. In 2019 she

had fallen and broke a bone

in her back. In July 2020, she

fell and suffered a fracture

to her hip for which she

had surgery. Last year, she

suffered a hairline fracture in

her lower leg, climbing into a

van to go to church

Now, five years since

I became her primary

caregiver, an award-winning

Gospel singer, Mama is now

90 years old, and wheelchair

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

• Spend time with pets. They can help

you manage anxiety and get you

moving more.

• It’s okay to say “no.” Give yourself

permission to set boundaries.

• Get some fresh air. Walking in nature

can improve your mood and relieve

anxiety.

• Unplug to recharge. Take a break from

social media, email and stressful

headlines.

SPEND TIME IN NATURE TO REDUCE

STRESS AND ANXIETY

If you’re

able to,

get back

to nature

to

energize

your

mind and body. Research has shown

spending 120 minutes a week in nature

improves health and well-being. Take the

time to care for yourself as you do for

others.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Source: American Heart Association;

www.heart.org


PAGE 6 • DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025

WESTSIDE

GAZETTE

Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

PUBLISHER

NEWSPAPER STAFF

Sonia Henry-Robinson

COMPTROLLER

Tawanna C. Taylor

ADMINISTRATIVE

ASST.

Pamela D. Henry

SENIOR EDITOR

Arri D. Henry

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Carma L. Henry

COMMUNITY NEWS

EDITOR

Sylvester “Nunnie’

Robinson SPORTS

Editor

Elizabeth D. Henry

CIRCULATION

MANAGER

NoRegret Media

WEBMASTER

Carma T. Taylor

DIGITAL SPECIALIST

Eric Sears

IT SPECIALIST

Ron Lyons

PHOTOGRAPHER

Levi Henry, Jr.: PUBLISHER

(Emeritus)

Yvonne Henry: EDITOR

(Emeritus)

WEBSITE:

www.thewestsidegazette.com

Broward County’s

Largest African

American Owned and

Operated

Newspaper Serving

Broward - Miami-Dade

and Palm Beach Counties

545 N.W. 7th Terrace

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 5304

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310

OFFICE (954) 525-1489

FAX: (954) 525-1861

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

MAIN

wgazette@thewestsidegazette.com

EDITOR

pamlewis@thewestsidegazette.com

COMMUNITY DIGEST

wgproof@thewestsidegazette.com

PUBLISHER

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PROUD MEMBERS OF THE:

NATIONAL

NEWSPAPER

PUBLISHERS

ASSOCIATION (NNPA)

AND FLORIDA

ASSOCIATION

OF BLACK OWNED

MEDIA

The Westside Gazette

Newspaper is Published Weekly

by Bi-Ads. Inc. DBA Subscription

Rates: $50 Annual

$1.00 per copy

CREDO -The BlackPress

beieves that American best

lead the world away from racial

and national

antagonisms when it accords

to every person, regarless of

race, color or creed, full human

and legal rights. Hating no

person, feaing no person, the

Black Press strives to help

every person in the firm belief

that all are hurt as long as

anyone is held back.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

GUIDELINES

We welcome letters from the

public.Letters must be signed

with a clearly legible name

along with a compete address

and phone number.

No unsigned letters will be

considered for publication.

The Westside Gazette reserves

the right to edit letters. Letters

should be 500 words or less.

The Gantt Report

Happy Holidays to TGR Family

By Lucius Gantt

Happy Holidays to all who

have enjoyed The Gantt Report

in 2024. I truly appreciate your

support in the current year and

your longtime support that has

taken place for many decades.

Ask any opinion writer, It’s

hard to study, research, and

write columns each, and every

week but God gave me the skill

and talent to use in my mission

to inform and enlighten my

people on this planet.

I don’t do holidays, but I

do adore my friends that do. I want to thank my man Terry

Mayfield and his wife and family for inviting me over for the

holidays every year. I missed their event this year, but Lucius

will show up at his house at any time.

I want to thank the media owners who publish and distribute

The Gantt Report. They get mad at me a lot, but they also

know which columns are read the most.

Believe it or not, only about 70 media owners and individuals

get TGR from me, but the column generates around 5000 views

each time it is posted by people other than me on the internet.

I believe most Black media companies in the United States

are currently owned or managed by Black women. I wish all of

them well.

It’s important for me to support Black women. I recognize

that 2024 has been disappointing for African American females.

After a surprising loss by Kamala Harris, sisters in the

hood were mad as hell! When your “cat” is mad, there isn’t too

much you can do about it. More than Black men felt female

anger, white women felt it, white men felt it, Black women who

didn’t vote for Kamala felt it, children and other relatives felt

it, coworkers felt it, neighbors felt it, and the whole world felt

it.

The end of the year is a good time for joy and peace. However,

I pray that Black women share and receive more love.

America’s Black media landscape has changed. At one time,

almost every Black household contained a copy of Ebony or

Jet magazines. Nearly every Black man and woman had read,

or heard of, The Pittsburgh Courier, The Atlanta World,

The Chicago Defender, or other Black newspapers.

Today, our people get their news from the internet and social

media. Black leaders are designated as such by white media

companies and our knowledge and wisdom are often reduced to

30-second social media posts made by charlatans and clowns!

Black women are truly queens. I think they are Gods on

earth.

Queens support their kings. No one loves their children more

than their mothers.

I want the Black queens I know to love the truth, love the

freedom fighters, love the freedom riders, love the community

activists, and love the men who will defend you with their lives!

This idea of Black leaders being designated by internet posts

must be discredited, abandoned, and ignored!

You see, Black leaders, women, and men; are like the

shepherds of the Black Flocks.

You don’t want your shepherd to lead you to a desert, you

want to be led to greener pastures, you don’t want to be led to

the local “Trap”, you want to be led to “the Promised Land”, you

don’t want to be led back to the plantation days, you want to be

led to freedom, justice, and glory days!

Black, women and men, let’s support each other. Don’t let

the 2025 devils divide us any longer!

I am still working on digitizing The Gantt Report to

guarantee that everyone can access the column around the

world.

Most internet posters merely copy, post, and comment on

other’s content.

The Gantt Report has 40 years of informative content, years

of television and radio experience, and recognition from my

media colleagues, media scholars, and educators. The Gantt

Report is unadulterated. TGR is the column that can’t be

imitated or duplicated, but you know that!

I’m trying my best to get TGR online as fast as I can. Bear

with me, please.

The People’s List of Trump’s Worst

(Part 1)

By Mel Gurtov

The List

Donald Trump has promised to

go after enemies of the people, and

will seek revenge against a list of

individuals and organizations. But we

the people have our own list. It consists

of nominees for top positions in the

Trump administration who should

never serve in government.

These people can be divided into three groups: super-rich

donors to Trump’s campaign who have bought their way into

an official position; supreme loyalists whose chief qualification

is subservience to Trump; and members of Trump’s extended

family. So far as I can tell, none of these people puts devotion to

the rule of law, the Constitution, and the public interest above

personal gain and support of strongman rule.

Donald Trump heads the People’s List, of course—the

convicted felon and demagogue who is once again creating chaos

in the political system rather than governing by bargaining

and consensus. This man constitutes the number-one threat to

America’s national security—not just in my opinion, but in the

opinion of numerous former US officials, many of whom were

appointed by Trump in his first term. They came to understand

that Trump is a wannabe dictator.

The Big-Time Donors

In the first category are around eight people so far who

have donated at least $1 million to Trump’s campaign and

have been rewarded with top-level jobs. Elon Musk comes

first with donations of over $262 million. He’s followed by

Linda McMahon, nominated for secretary of education, who

has donated over $21 million. Howard Lutnick, nominee for

Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

Deeply Rooted

www.thewestsidegazette.com

The Westside Gazette, under the Management of BI-ADs, Inc., reserves

the right to publish Views and Opinions by Contributing Writers that

may not necessarily reflect those of the Staff and Management of

The Westside Gazette Newspaper and are solely the product of the

responsible individual(s) who submit comments published in this

newspaper.

Voters’ Connectivity +

Medium

“The Holy Grail, candidates campaigning to win a

political position must remember, failure to establish

voters’ connectivity is not an option!”

John Johnson II… 12/24/24

By Johns Johnson

America’s survival as a republic hinges

on the fundamental rights of voters

to participate in free public elections.

These rights are the cornerstone of

our democracy, empowering officials

of either political party to govern the

country. The ability to identify and

prioritize voters’ needs according to

their priorities is crucial for any party

to win elections. This underscores the

importance of voters’ connectivity,

whereby the medium becomes the

message (VC+M)

Marshall McLuhan gained fame as a communication theorist

in 1964 for popularizing the phrase “the medium is the

message.” He advanced the theory that “the medium used to

communicate a message is as important as the message itself.”

TikTok is a shining example of a powerful way to communicate

with viewers to gain their viewership and enrich the producers.

Warner Bros. in 1927 improved the medium of silent films

with the addition of sound. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why

do Movie studios add musical scores to their productions?”

Again, music infused the cinema, the medium, to help gain and

sustain viewers’ connectivity to the movie.

However, rather than attempt to provide strategies to attract,

sustain, and establish voters’ connectivity, only the following

social mediums are listed: TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X

(former Twitter) Truth Social, Podcast, and TV news broadcast.

The past 2024 Presidential election results indicated that the

Republican Party effectively utilized social media, along with

other communication channels, to establish voters’ connectivity.

This strategy led to a significant win for President-elect Trump.

He received 77,297,721 popular votes and 312 Electoral votes,

showcasing the power of social media in modern elections.

As you consider the role of voters’ connectivity in the political

landscape, it’s a crucial aspect of our democratic process that

we must prioritize.

YOU BE THE JUDGE!

To Be Equal

Working to Close the Vaccine

Gap is a Collective Effort

By Marc H. Morial, National Urban League President

and CEO National Urban League.

It is no secret how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic

has been for marginalized communities in this country. The

National Urban League quantified this impact in the 2020

edition of our annual capstone report, the State of Black

America.

As COVID-19 swept across the country, we sprang into

action through combined efforts from our affiliate movement

and public/private partnerships to save lives across the

country. In 2021, we launched All In, a joint effort with the

Center for Disease Control (CDC) to close the vaccination gap

in communities of color and underserved neighborhoods with

the help of our affiliates.

Even though we are past the peak of the pandemic, this is

the stark reality of our present situation:

COVID-19 remains a severe health threat. Over 43,000

Americans have died from COVID-19 in 2024 alone – and as

we enter the colder months, flu season, and holiday season, the

risk of severe infections and hospitalizations will continue to

rise.

We know that those with pre-existing conditions like COPD,

high blood pressure, and obesity are at greater risk of falling

seriously ill. People of color and marginalized communities are

also affected by these conditions at a disproportionate rate.

And beyond the risk of an acute COVID-19 infection, we cannot

ignore the devastating toll of Long COVID, which has impacted

roughly 18 million Americans. Long COVID can affect anyone,

regardless of age and health status, and is linked to more than

200 symptoms, including brain fog, debilitating fatigue, and

chronic pain.

Staying up to date with vaccinations to prevent and reduce

the severity of new strains of the virus is the best way to

protect ourselves from falling seriously ill. According to one

study, the total COVID hospitalization rate is approximately

11 times higher in unvaccinated adults. At the same time,

receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to fend

off longer term symptoms -– studies show vaccination reduces

an individual’s risk of developing Long COVID by 70%.

The good news is that updated COVID-19 vaccines are

available at pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and health clinics across

the country. For most Americans, the COVID-19 vaccine is free

because private insurance and other programs like Medicare,

Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program cover

the full cost. Americans who don’t have insurance can typically

find no-cost options in their communities through local

Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

Frankly Speaking

I’m taking to

wearing brown

shoes all the time,

the S is getting deep

By Frank Wilson

I am always amazed by

the thought processes of some

of my fellow Americans.

It was not that long ago

that Donald Trump and others

were having conniptions

about Barack Obama’s place

of birth and his eligibility

to serve as President. Fast

forward and here we are with

Elon Musk who we know for

sure is South African running

every damn thing including

the President-Elect.

Where’s all the brouhaha?

Why are there no questions?

America can never seem

to lose it’s penchant towards

racism An unusually gifted

black man who more than

checked all of the eligibility

boxes was literally forced to

prove his citizenship while

a white man whose only

credentials are arrogance and

money has damn near free

reign to chart the future for

America thus the world.

Jim Jordan, Lindsey

Graham, Paul Hawley,

Jim Comer your silence is

deafening and my God Rand

Paul is floating the idea

of Musk as Speaker of the

House!

The Duffocation is about

to hit the Oscillator !

What’s the

best gift for

relationships this

holiday season?

Understanding

ourselves

By Melinda Burrell

We were

in one of

those finisheverythingbefore-theholidays

meetings,

pussyfooting

about an

accusation

someone had made. Suddenly

a colleague confessed, “My

hands are clenched. My

shoulders are tense.” He

paused. “If I listen to my body,

clearly I feel like I’m being

attacked.” As he described his

feelings, I recognized them

in myself. Judging by their

faces, so did the others.

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

Return of ‘Kids

for Cash’ and a

Look Within

By Robert C. Koehler

More than

15 years after

the “kids for

cash” scandal

shocked the

nation, it’s

back, stirring

not just public

incredulity but, for some,

soul-slicing memories of hell

on Earth.

This is thanks to Joe

Biden’s decision to grant

clemency to Michel Conahan,

one of two juvenile-court

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com


www.thewestsidegazette.com

BUSINESS

UNITY IN THE

COMMUNITY DIRECTORY

Cell: 754-234-4485

Office: 954-733-7700 ext. 111

Fax: 954-731-0333

Kenneth R. Thurston

REALTOR, CPM, CAM

4360 W. Oakland Park Blvd Email: ken@acclaimcares.com

Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33313

Web: www.acclaimcares.com

Climate-Driven Insurance Crisis

Sweeps the Nation as Non-Renewals

and Premiums Skyrocket

Rising premiums and insurer withdrawals are creating

a financial disaster that threatens national property

values and economic stability.

“We know that many people today can afford a monthly

mortgage payment, but that securing the upfront costs

of homeownership can be a significant challenge,” said

Richard Winter, the vice president and Area Lending

Manager for Bank of America’s Baltimore region. (Photo:

iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Stacy M. Brown,

NNPA Newswire Senior

National Correspondent@

StacyBrownMedia

Homeowners across

the United States face an

escalating crisis as insurance

companies abandon highrisk

areas driven by climate

change. A newly released

Senate Budget Committee

report reveals that nonrenewal

rates for home

insurance have surged in

coastal regions, wildfire-prone

communities, and even inland

counties. Rising premiums

and insurer withdrawals are

creating a financial disaster

that threatens national

property values and economic

stability.

The Scope of the Crisis

The report, which analyzed

data from 23 major insurance

companies representing

65% of the homeowners’

insurance market, highlights

the widespread nature of the

problem. While states such as

Florida, Louisiana, California,

and Texas often serve as

focal points for insurance

instability, the crisis is also

spreading to less traditionally

vulnerable regions. In 2023,

states such as North Carolina,

New Mexico, Oklahoma, and

Hawaii ranked among the

highest for non-renewal rates​.

Florida recorded the

highest average statewide

non-renewal rate, but Texas

did not break the top ten​.

The data shows that severe

convective storms, wildfires,

and hurricanes drive insurers

out of markets, leaving

millions of homeowners

without coverage.

DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025 • PAGE 7

A Constant In Life

Is Change

Submitted by

Anthony Brunson, P.A.

Change is an inevitable part

of growth, both personally and

professionally. Embracing change

enables us to adapt, innovate,

and improve. It can initially feel

uncomfortable, but it often brings

valuable opportunities to learn and

evolve. As we face transitions, let’s

approach them with an open mind,

focusing on how we can leverage

new circumstances for positive

outcomes.

Audrey Robinson, a 10+ year member of Anthony Brunson P.A. has

transitioned to a new opportunity in her career. I wish to formally

thank Audrey for many years of service as a bedrock of Anthony

Brunson P.A.

These circumstances provide opportunities for her team members

and new members of Anthony Brunson P.A. to assume leadership

roles. Our team will continue to support each other in embracing

change and remain committed to continuous progress, ensuring that

we stay resilient and agile in our mission to serve you, our clients.

On behalf of the Anthony Brunson P.A. Team, we all wish the very

best to Audrey in her future endeavors.

Counties Hit the Hardest

Among the 100 counties

with the highest non-renewal

rates in 2023, 82 were coastal

or wildfire-prone​. Counties in

North Carolina, New Mexico,

the Northern Rockies, and

Southern New England are

experiencing sharp nonrenewal

increases. The report

also identifies several inland

counties, including those in

Oklahoma and Montana,

where non-renewal rates are

rising due to the growing

threat of wildfires and severe

storms​.

In North Carolina, 13

inland counties, including

Cumberland, Mecklenburg,

and Guilford, were among

the top 100 for non-renewal

rates in 2023​. Despite being

away from the coast, the

report revealed that these

areas continue to suffer from

hurricanes and other extreme

weather events.

The Economic Fallout

The Senate report warns

that the rising wave of nonrenewals

and premium

increases could lead to

a nationwide collapse in

property values. Home

insurance is critical for

securing mortgages; without

it, homeowners are left

stranded financially, officials

stated in the report, which

parallels the 2008 financial

crisis.

The report notes that

“insured losses from natural

disasters in the U.S. now

routinely approach $100

billion a year, compared

to $4.6 billion in 2000.” As

insurers retreat from high-

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

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PAGE 8 • DECEDMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025

CHURCH DIRECTORY

First Baptist Church Piney Grove, Inc.

4699 West Oakland Park Blvd., Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33313

(954) 735-1500 - Fax (954) 735-1999

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Church Website: www.fbcpineygrove.org

Dr. Ezra Tillman, Jr. Senior Pastor

WORSHIP SERVICES

Sunday ..... 8:00 AM & 11:00 AM In Person Virtual

Sunday School.......9:30 AM In Person

Bible Study on Wednesday.......11:30 AM & 7:00 PM In Person & Virtual

"Winning the World for Jesus"

Harris Chapel Church, Inc.

Rev. Stanley Melek, M.Div

e-mail: harrischapelinc@gmail.com

2351 N.W. 26th Street

Oakland Park, Florida 33311

Church Telephone: (954) 731-0520

SERVICES

Sunday Worship........................10:30 AM

Church School................................................9:00 AM

Wednesday (Bible Study).........11:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Living Waters Christian Fellowship

Meeting at Central Charter School Building #5

4515 N. St. Rd. 7 (US 441)

(954) 295-6894

SUNDAY SERVICE: 10 AM

Iwcf2019@gmail.com (Church)

lerrub13@gamil.com (Pastor)

Rev. Anthony & Virgina Burrell

Jesus said, ‘‘let anyone who is thristy come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37)

Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church

Reverend Henry E. Green, III, Pastor

401 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Phone: (954) 463-6309 Fax: (954) 522-4113

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Email info@mthermonftl.com

SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICES

Worship Service....................................9:00 AM

In person/www.mounthermonftl.or/YouTube Live/FaceBook

Church School.............................9:30 AM

BIBLE STUDY: Wednesday........................10:00 AM

Bible Study Wednesday ...............7:00 PM via Zoom

Meeting ID: 826 2716 8390 access code 55568988#

Daily Prayer Line.............................6:00 AM

(716) 427-1407 Access Code 296233#

(712) 432-1500 Access Code 296233#

New Mount Olive Baptist Church

Dr. Marcus D. Davidson, Senior Pastor

400 N.W. 9th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Office (954) 463-5126 - Fax: (954) 525-9454

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday- Thursday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

WORSHIP SERVICES & BIBLE STUDY

Sunday Services: In Person

8:00 AM and 10:45 AM

Virtual..................9:00 AM

Sunday School....................9:30 AM

Wednesday Encountering Truth

Noonday Bible Study...........12:00 PM to 12:30 PM

Where the Kingdom of God is Increased through:

Fellowship, Ledership, Ownership and Worship

As we F.L.O.W. To Greatness!

Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church

2551 N.W. 22nd St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

P.O. Box 122256, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

(954) 733-3285 - Fax: (954) 733-9231

Email: mountnebobaptist@bellsouth.net

Website: www.mountnebobaptist.org

WORSHIP SERVICES & BIBLE STUDY

(In Person)

Sunday..........................10:00 A.M.

Sunday School ....................8:30 A.M.

Tuesday Night Bible Study..............7:00 P.M.

“Reaching Our Wrold One Persons At A Time”

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church

Dr. James B. Darling, Jr., Pastor/Teacher

1161 NW 29th Terrace; Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310

(954) 581-0455 - (FAX) 581-4350

mzbc2011@gmail.com - www.mtzionmbc1161.com

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday - Friday 11:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

WORSHIP SERVICES

Sunday Worship...................................................10:15 A.M.

Communion Service (1st Sunday) .........................10:15 A.M.

2nd & 4th Tuesday Night Prayer Workshop/Bible Study................7:00 P.M

Wednesday Night Prayer Service.......................6:30 P.M.

Wednesday Night Church School ............7:00 P.M.

New Birth Baptist Church

Catheral of Faith International

Bishop Victor T. Curry, M. Min., D. Div. Senior Pastor/Teacher

ORDER OF SERVICES

Sunday Worship.............................9:30 AM

Sunday School ..............................8:30 AM

Tuesday Bible Study...................7:00 PM

Wednsday Bible Study..................10:30 AM

(305) 685-3700 (0) * (305) 685-0705 (f)

www.nbbcmiami.org

Deeply Rooted

New Creation Baptist Church In Christ

r.curry7me@gmail.com

Drive-Up Sunday Worship - 10 AM

4001 North Dixie Hwy.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33064

(954) 943-9116

newcreationbcic@gmail.com

Williams Memorial CME Church

644-646 N.W. 13th Terrace

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311

Office: (954) 462-8222. Email: inf@wmsfl.org

Reverend Errol Darville, Pastor

E-mail: erroldarville@gmail.com

WORSHIP SERVICES and BIBLE STUDY

In person, Zoom; 646-558-8636 ID: 954-462-8222, Stream: Facebook Live @ WMCMECHURCH

Sunday Church School..................... 9:00 AM

Sunday Worship Service ................10:00 AM

Tuesday Prayer Meeting...............7:00 PM

Tuesday Bibke Study................7:30 PM

"Celebrating over 100 years of SERVICES"

St. Ruth Missionsary Baptist Church

145 NW 5th Avenue

Dania Beach, FL 33004

(954) 922-2529

WORSHIP SERVICES

Wednesday (NOON DAY PRAYER.......................12- 1 PM

Sunday Worship Service ...................................10:00 AM

Website: www.struthmbc.org

"Celebrating 115 Years of Service"

Victory Baptist Church Independent

Pastor Keith Cunningham

2241 Davie Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

Church: (954) 284-9413

Sunday School .................................................9:45 AM

Worship Service Sunday Morning..................................11:00 AM

Sunday Evening Service.........................................6:00 PM

Bible Study...................................................7:30 PM

Wednesday Evening Bible Study & Prayer ........................7:00 PM

Saturday Morning Soul Winning/Visitation..............10:00 AM

Men’s Fellowship (Every 2nd & last Tuesdays)................6:00 PM

Ladies Fellowship (the last Saturday of each month)..........................5:00 PM

Youth Fellowship (Every Friday)...............6:30 PM

Discover GOD Let Us Help You Find The Way To Jesus Christ

We STRIVE to PROVIDER Ministries that matter Today to Whole Body of Christ,

not only the Believers, but also for those stranded on the “Jericho Road”!

“Celebrating over 85 Years of FAITH and FAVOR!

Come to the WILL.....We’ll show You the WAY: Jesus the Christ”

Shaw Temple A.M.E. Zion Church

Rev. Dr. William Calvin Haralson, Pastor

522 N.W. 9th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Church: (954) 647-8254

Email: AMEZ522@Yahoo.com

SERVICES

Sunday School.................................................10:15 AM

Sunday Morning Worship.................................11:00 AM

Bible Study.....................................................7:30 PM

“Reaching beyond the four walls touching lives, touching communities”.

Jesus Christ Ministry Of Faith, Inc.

Jesus Loves You

Join Us Sundays

at 9 AM

477 NW 27 Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

JCMOFINC@gmail.com

The New Beginning

Embassy of Praise

The Most Reverend

John H. Taylor, Bishop, Sr. Pastor

Dr. ML Taylor, Executive Pastor

4035 SW 18th Street, West Park, FL 33023

Sunday Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.

Conference Line - 848-220-3300 ID: 33023

Bible Study - Tuesdays - 7:30 p.m.

Noonday Prayer - Wednesdays- 12:00 noon

Come Worship With Us For Your New Begnning!

Pastor David Deal, Jr.

www.thewestsidegazette.com

Every Christian's Church

SUNDAY @11:00 am

Phone (313) 209-8800 Conference ID 1948-1949

Bible Trivia

‘Test Your Bible Knowledge'

Questions:

1) Luke wrote his Gospel to a man named Theophilus. To whom

did he write the book of Acts?

2) Peter gave a speech at 9 a.m. What day was it?

3) The apostles chose seven ‘deacons’ to help them. Why?

4) Who were the first deacons chosen?

5) Saul ( later known as Paul ) was converted on the road to Damascus.

Why was he going there?

6) As Saul was traveling to Damascus to persecute Christians, what

knocked him to the ground?

7) Who said this as he died: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit…Don’t

charge them with this sin”

8) Why were widows weeping and showing Peter the coats Dorcas

had made for them?

Answers: 1) Acts 1:1 – Theophilus; 2) Acts 2:1 – Pentecost; 3)

Acts 6:4 So they could spend more time in prayer and preaching;

4) Acts 6:5 – Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, Nicolas;

5) Acts 9:2 - To arrest Christians; 6) Acts 9:3 – A bright light

from Heaven; 7) Acts 7:59-60 – Stephen; 8) Acts 9:39 - Dorcas

***Biblical note*** Long before modern tank warfare, people were

inventing battle machines. In Scripture, the great King Uzziah is

hailed for producing “machines mounted on the walls of Jerusalem,

designed by brilliant men to shoot arrows and hurl stones

from the towers and the corners of the wall” (2 Chronicles 26:15)


www.thewestsidegazette.com

Civil Rights Icon and Beloved Aggie,

Yvonne Johnson: A Life Truly Well Lived

By Todd Simmons /

12/09/2024 Alumni, College

of Education

(Source: North Carolina Agricultural

and Technical State

University

EAST GREENSBORO,

N.C. (Dec. 9, 2024) – A woman

who grew up in the community

around North Carolina

Agricultural and Technical

State University, earned a

master’s degree from A&T

and became the first African

American elected both to the

Greensboro City Council and

to the Greensboro mayorship

has passed, and the Aggie

family locally and nationwide

are mourning her death.

Yvonne Jeffries Johnson ’78

died Wednesday, Dec. 4. Tributes

have poured in over the

past five days from scores of

friends, including Congressional

representatives, Guilford

County and Greensboro officials

and both North Carolina

A&T and Bennett College,

where she earned her bachelor’s

degree. She was 82.

See services information for

Johnson below.

Johnson’s illustrious life

By Jeffrey Collins

(Source: AP)

Johnson speaks during a meeting of the Greensboro

City Council in 2022 in this photo illustration.

touched innumerable parts of

the community. The daughter

of a minister and niece of the

first African American to earn

a doctoral degree in dairy science,

she spent her childhood

on former North Carolina

A&T university farm land.

She graduated from Dudley

High School in East Greensboro

before going on to Bennett.

As a Bennett Belle, she

took part in the historic sit-in

demonstrations launched by

the A&T Four that not only

overturned a racist seating

policy for the Woolworth’s

lunch counter in downtown

Greensboro, but served as a

catalyst for public accommodations

protections in the Civil

Rights Act of 1964.

Johnson graduated from

Bennett the same year that

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

Kay Patterson, who rose from janitor at segregated

South Carolina capitol to state senator, dies

Deeply Rooted

VIEW OBITUARIES ONLINE AT

www.thewestsidegazette.com

******************************

Acknowledgments/ Announcements:

In Memoriam * Death Notices * Happy Birthdays

Card of Thanks* Remembrances

*******************************************************************

HAVE YOUR CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS PLACED ON THIS PAGE (954) 525-1489

Obituaries

Death and Funeral Notices

A Good Sheperd's

Funeral Home

& Cremation Services

Central

Mark Smart

– 37

Funeral

Service

was held

December

21t at AGS

Multipurpose Center..

Patricia

Taviere -63

Funeral

Service

was held

December

17 th at

Annie Laura

Sheppard Smith Chapel.

DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025 • PAGE 9

Inez Mack – 84

Funeral

Service

was held

December

21 st at James

C. Boyd’s

Memorial

Chapel with

Bishop Tony D. Mitchell

officiating.

Yvonne Joy

McPherson

– 61

Funeral

Service

was held

December

21 st at James

C. Boyd’s

Memorial

Chapel with Mrs. Willie

Phillips officiating.

McWhite’s Funeral

Home Services

Juanita

Alfreda

“Neet” Hicks

Funeral

Service

was held

December

21 st at

McWhite’s

Funeral Home Chapel.

John Willie

Hill Funeral

Service was held

December 20 th

at McWhite’s

Funeral Home

Chapel.

Lee Arthur

Pitts

Funeral Service

was held

December 21 st

at McWhite’s

Funeral Home

Chapel.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)

— Former South Carolina

Sen. Kay Patterson, who

rose from cleaning offices at

the segregated Statehouse to

serving as a state legislator

for over 30 years died Friday.

He was 93.

The South Carolina

Democratic Party announced

Patterson’s death saying he

“left an indelible mark on

our state. Senator Patterson

commanded everyone’s

attention with his wit and

wisdom.”

The statement did not list a

cause of death.

Patterson was born in 1931

in Darlington County and

raised by his grandmothers.

They recalled his hardheaded

spirit early, recommending he

not take jobs as a golf caddy

or shoe shiner because he was

likely to mouth off to white

people in segregated 1940s

South Carolina and get in

trouble.

Instead, Patterson served in

the military and then got his

teaching degree through the

GI Bill at Allen University.

While in college, he cleaned

offices at the segregated

capitol where he and other

Black people couldn’t be

unless they were working.

“When I was a janitor, Black

people couldn’t go in the

Statehouse,” Patterson said

in a 2004 interview with the

University of South Carolina.

“And then one day I came back

down here as a member of the

House and then in ’84, I came

back sitting in the Senate as a

senator. Now that’s a hell of a

long way to come.”

Patterson spent 30 years in

education and was elected to

the South Carolina House in

1974 and the Senate 10 years

later after U.S. Rep. Jim

Clyburn urged him to run for

the upper chamber seat.

In a statement, Clyburn

called Patterson “a trusted

leader, a tireless champion for

civil rights, and a treasured

friend. He was a person of

strength, determination, wisdom,

and a long proponent

of removing the Confederate

flag from the South Carolina

Statehouse dome.”

Patterson was also the first

Black person to serve on the

University of South Carolina

Board of Trustees since

Reconstruction.

Patterson was a key

member of both the House

and Senate, He served on the

budget committees in both

chambers and was a major

voice in support of civil rights,

public education and helping

poor people. He adamantly

demanded the Confederate

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

South Carolina state Sen. Kay Patterson eulogizes

former Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., during Thurmond’s

funeral service at First Baptist Church in Columbia,

S.C., Tuesday, July 1, 2003. (Tim Dominick/The State via

AP, Pool, File)

Merry Christmas

And Happy Kwanzaa;

& Very Happy New Year

From

The Westside Gazette

Management & Staff

Richard “Duke”

Walker – 28

Funeral

Service

was held

December 21 st

at Lighthosue.

James C. Boyd

Funeral Home Services

Maxine Craig

Gaskin - 61

Funeral

Service

was held

December

21at at First

Baptist Church

Piney Grove

with Rev. Dr. Ezar L. Tillman, Jr.

officiating.

Willa

Jane Ball

Funeral

Service

was held

December

21 st at New

Mount Olive

Baptist

Church.

Curtis Bean

Funeral

Service

was held

December 21 st

at McWhite’s

Funeral Home

Chapel.

Zillette Cadet

Funeral Service

was held

December 21 st

at McWhite’s

Funeral Home

Chapel.

Dale Ann

Hall-Scarlett

Memorial

Service

was held

December 18 th

at McWhite’s

Funeral Home

Chapel.

Roy Mizell & Kurtz

Funeral Home Services

Professor

Maxine

Bosket-

Newson – 74

Funeral

Service

was held

December

19 th at Golden Heights Church

Of Christ.

Martha

Irving Smith

Funeral

Service

was held

December

21 st at Roy

Mizell & Kurtz

Funeral Home.

May the God

of hope fill

you with all

joy and peace as

you trust in

him , so that

you may

overflow

with hope by

the power of the

Holy Spirit

Romas 15:13


PAGE 10 • DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025

Deeply Rooted

www.thewestsidegazette.com

New City Attorney Appointed

with $1 Million Annual Retainer

Hans Ottinot, a prominent South Florida attorney, has

been appointed this week as the interim city attorney for

Lauderhill, a role that comes with a significant price tag for

taxpayers. City records reveal that Ottinot will earn over $1

million annually in retainer fees.

Ottinot, who also serves as city attorney for Tamarac,

officially began his tenure in Lauderhill on Tuesday following

a swiftly convened meeting at City Hall the day prior. He

replaces Angel Petti Rosenberg, Lauderhill’s long-time city

attorney, whose resignation took effect on Monday.

According to an agreement signed by Lauderhill’s newly

elected mayor, Denise Grant, Ottinot’s law firm will receive

a monthly retainer of $85,446.30. This appointment adds to

By Cindy Arenberg Seltzer

BROWARD COUNTY,

FL – The Children’s Services

Council of Broward County

(CSC) is proud to announce

a $500,000 investment in

a collaborative partnership

with Legal Aid Service of

Broward County, the Broward

County Human Services

Department (BCHD), and the

Manne Foundation to expand

Legal Aid’s Homelessness

Prevention Program. This

initiative will provide critical

legal and financial support

to children and families at

risk of eviction, addressing

the growing housing crisis in

Broward County.

Broward County continues

to face significant housing

challenges, with inflated home

prices, rising rental costs,

and a shortage of affordable

housing leading to increased

homelessness among families.

CSC has been a longstanding

supporter of homelessness

prevention, leveraging

emergency flex funds to assist

families facing unexpected

financial hardships.

The new partnership

builds on the success of

the Manne Homelessness

Prevention Program,

stablished with a $1 million

investment from the Manne

Foundation in 2022. Over the

past 1.5 years, this program

has assisted 472 individuals,

including 200 adults and

272 children, by employing

dedicated legal professionals

to mediate between tenants

and landlords to prevent

evictions.

With the additional

$500,000 investment from

CSC, Legal Aid Services

will expand its program by

hiring an additional attorney,

Ottinot’s existing responsibilities in Tamarac, where city

records show he earns $600,000 annually in retainer fees, with

additional compensation for hourly work on litigation, labor

negotiations, real estate transactions, and utility issues.

Meanwhile, Rosenberg, who served Lauderhill for nearly

three decades, will continue to receive approximately $35,000

per month for the next five months during a transition period.

During this time, her firm will transfer all ongoing city

casework to Ottinot’s team.

“It is with mixed emotions that we move on and truly wish

the City of Lauderhill the best in the future,” Rosenberg wrote

in her Dec. 13 resignation letter. She reflected on her 28 years

of service, stating, “The City of Lauderhill has become a part

Announces $500,000

Collaborative Partnership to

Prevent Homelessness

paralegal, and legal assistant

to support families referred

by CSC-funded programs and

ChildNet. These resources

will focus on assisting families

facing temporary financial

challenges, ensuring they

receive the legal and financial

support needed to stay in

their homes.

The collaboration also

includes BCHD, which

recently increased its

funding for rental assistance

programs from $210,000 to

$360,000, recognizing the

critical need for homelessness

prevention. BCHD further

invested $1 million to expand

partnerships with Legal Aid

Service of Broward County

and Coast to Coast Legal Aid

Services.

“Homelessness prevention

is not only a cost-effective

solution but also a vital

investment in the wellbeing

of our children and

our community,” said Cindy

Arenberg Seltzer, CSC

President/CEO. “By

partnering with Legal Aid

Service, BCHD, and the

Manne Foundation, we hope

Continue reading online at:

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HANS OTTINOT

of the fabric of my being.” Rosenberg has not publicly disclosed

the reasons for her resignation, and city officials have not

commented on the matter.

Ottinot’s contract with Lauderhill allows for additional

billing flexibility, covering expenses such as investigative costs,

court fees, mediator fees, and expert consultations, among

others.

With this new appointment, Ottinot and his team, consisting

of three to four attorneys, now represent the cities of Lauderhill,

Tamarac, and the Broward Village of Lazy Lake, according to

public records.

Jessie Trice Community Health

Foundation Spreads Holiday Cheer

at its Annual Toy Drive

500 toys were distributed to children in the Community

During this unprecedented

storm season, Hurricanes

Debby, Helene and Milton

caused significant impacts

across the state of Florida.

Florida Power & Light

Company (FPL) responded

swiftly to each storm,

restoring power to impacted

customers in a matter of days.

Just as importantly, FPL’s

enhancements to the electric

grid, including building

stronger infrastructure,

undergrounding power lines

and deploying smart grid

technology continued to

benefit customers and helped

to avoid outages and speed

restoration.

FPL’s response:

• Smart grid technology

helped avoid approximately

824,000 customer outages

combined during these three

storms.

• Underground power

lines performed about 5-14

times better during these

storms than their overhead

counterparts.

• Stronger infrastructure,

such as converting wooden

poles to concrete structures,

helped speed restoration

times following each storm.

Customers impacted by

each storm were essentially

restored within 1-5 days.

Looking back at this

hurricane season: 2024 was

a historic hurricane season.

In fact, it was the sixth year

since 1871 that Florida

experienced three landfalling

hurricanes in the same year.

• Hurricane Debby (Aug.

5): A Category 1 hurricane

that impacted Florida’s Big

Bend region less than a year

after Category 3 Hurricane

Idalia (Aug. 30, 2023)

made landfall in the same

region. Nearly 250,000 FPL

customers were impacted by

significant flooding, strong

winds and storm surge along

Florida’s west coast and north

region. Customers were

essentially restored in one

day.

• H u r r i c a n e

Helene (Sept. 26): A

Category 4 hurricane that

made landfall slightly west

of Debby’s landfall nearly

two months after the fact –

becoming the third hurricane

to impact that region in

less than a year. More than

680,000 FPL customers were

affected by the storm – which

brought widespread damage

throughout the Southeast

U.S. Customers were

essentially restored in

three days.

o After restoring power to

FPL customers following

Hurricane Helene, we

committed hundreds of

lineworkers, contractors and

support staff to assist with

restoration and rebuilding

across the Southeastern U.S.

• Hurricane Milton (Oct.

9): A Category three

hurricane at landfall, Milton

impacted Florida from coast

to coast less than two weeks

after Hurricane Helene.

Areas across the state were

FPL’s

storm-resilient

power grid

prevents more

than 800,000

outages during

active 2024

hurricane

season

affected by storm surge,

flooding, strong winds and

unprecedented tornado

activity. More than 2 million

FPL customers were impacted

by Milton. Customers were

essentially restored in five

days.

A message from FPL

President and CEO

Armando Pimentel: “This

year was a challenging

hurricane season for Florida

and much of the Southeastern

U.S. I’m proud of the way

our team worked together

and responded as quickly as

possible to get our communities

back on their feet. While this

hurricane season reminded

us that no electric grid is

100% stormproof, it also

showed that grid hardening

is making us more resilient

during hurricanes and severe

weather. Be assured, we

will continue our year-round

approach towards building a

stronger, smarter and more

storm-resilient electric grid

and our teams will be ready

for when the next storm

strikes.”

Looking forward: The

2024 hurricane season

showcased the importance

and need for preparation.

We encourage our customers

to refine their emergency

plans before the 2025

hurricane season approaches.

Customers and all Florida

residents can find useful tips

on www.FPL.com/Storm.

The Jessie Trice Community Health Foundation (JTCHF) and the Jessie Trice Community Health

System(JTCHS) distributed about 500 toys during their annual toy drive. The organization

collected toys through generous donations from community partners. The remaining toys were

donated to the Miami-Dade Police Department to ensure even more children could experience the

magic of the holidays. Pictured are members of the JTCHS executive team and board, alongside

members of the Miami-Dade Police. (Photos Credit: Ricardo Reyes, Sonshine Communications)

MIAMI, FL — Every

child deserves a merry and

bright holiday! With that

message in mind, the Jessie

Trice Community Health

Foundation (JTCHF) and

the Jessie Trice Community

Health System (JTCHS)

recently hosted their Annual

Toy Drive at the JTCHS

Dr. Fatima Zafar Center in

Liberty City.

During the event, which

was held in a drive-thru

format, JTCHF gave away

around 500 toys to children in

need. Adding extra excitement

and joy to the event, President

and CEO of JTCHS, Ryan

R. Hawkins, dressed as

Santa Claus. Children

were delighted to see Santa

greeting them and handing

out toys. Furthermore, they

enjoyed a festive atmosphere

with popcorn, cotton candy,

and a raffle, where a dozen

bicycles were awarded to

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

Miami-Dade Chamber Celebrates

50 Years During Annual Gala

Leaders in Black Excellence Awarded for Achievements

By Miami Times

Staff Report

Black excellence was on

full display Saturday during

the Miami-Dade Chamber

of Commerce’s (MDCC) 19th

Annual Holiday Gala at the

Hilton Miami Downtown. The

event also marked 50 years

of MDCC’s commitment to

supporting Black businesses.

G. Eric Knowles, president

and CEO of the Miami-Dade

Chamber of Commerce,

thanked the audience and

honorees.

“Each of you in this room

have played an integral

role in our shared journey,”

Knowles said. “Whether as

business leaders, advocates,

or community partners,

you’ve helped elevate the

chamber’s mission to new

heights. Tonight, we reflect

on our history, celebrate

our achievements, and look

forward to the next 50 years

of excellence.”

“To all of our esteemed

guests tonight: the chamber

remains committed to

advocating for our small

businesses and the broader

community,” said NBC 6

South Florida news anchor

Constance Jones, who served

as the night’s mistress of

ceremony. “Advocacy is as

vital now as it has ever been.”

President and CEO of Ten

North Group Dr. Willie Logan

received the H.T. Smith

Lifetime Achievement Award.

Presenter Teri Williams

— president and COO of

OneUnited Bank — said the

Honorees

award “is presented to an

individual whose lifetime of

exceptional contributions in

community leadership and

philanthropic endeavors has

had a lasting impact on the

lives of residents here in

Miami-Dade County.”

Also honored were Carole

Ann Taylor, an entrepreneur

and founding member of the

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com


www.thewestsidegazette.com

Deeply Rooted

From the Catwalk to Commencement: How a FAMU

SJGC Student Designed Her Modeling Career

DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025 • PAGE 11

Submitted by

Alonda Thomas

TALLAHASSEE --

As graduation at Florida

A&M University (FAMU)

approaches, senior Nevaeh

Palmer reflects on her

collegiate journey through

the School of Journalism and

Graphic Communication —

which was defined by a series

of unexpected opportunities.

For Palmer, a native of

Dallas, Texas, her freshman

year at FAMU began online

during the COVID-19

pandemic. Although she loves

being a Rattler now, FAMU

was not on her radar until

she visited the campus.

“I had already committed

to Prairie View. I had paid my

deposit and was trying out for

their dance team, but after

visiting FAMU’s campus

something about it felt like

home,” she says.

After breaking barriers

by becoming the first Black

captain of her high school’s

dance team, Palmer was

disappointed when she

learned she did not make

Prairie View’s dance squad.

However, her acceptance to

FAMU lifted her spirits and

she quickly decided to leave

Dallas for Tallahassee.

“I was able to get my

deposit back. I said goodbye to

my (Prairie View) roommate

and made plans for Florida,”

Palmer remembers.

Then, the pandemic

derailed her plans, and she

opted to attend FAMU from

home.

“Taking classes online

was sometimes challenging,

but I was happy to physically

be at FAMU the following

semester. I later joined the

Venom Pom Squad, and I

tried to soak in the whole

college experience,” she says.

“I met friends who were very

nurturing and took me under

their wing. FAMU really has

something for everyone.”

She was even able to

launch a new venture at the

University.

“I was approached to be a

Victoria’s Secret Pink college

representative for Prairie

View, but I was able to bring

the program with me when I

came to FAMU.”

Originally a business

administration major in

the School of Business and

Industry (SBI), Palmer soon

understood her passion was

not in spreadsheets. After

being featured in Pink’s

promotions, Palmer realized

she wanted to explore a

modeling career. She met with

the owner of a Miami-based

modeling agency who offered

some harsh, but ultimately

valuable advice.

“She told me to change

my hair, remove the lash

extensions, switch my major,

quit the dance team, and I did

everything she said. I knew

if I wanted this as a career

I would have to make some

sacrifices,” she says.

Her efforts proved

profitable. She later signed

with the Miami agency and

began receiving offers for

work with some influential

companies. However, Palmer

maintains the leap from

business and accounting to

the School of Journalism

& Graphic Communication

(SJGC) was not as shocking

as some would expect.

“My experience in SBI

taught me how to use my

elevator pitch, how to brand

myself and how to decipher

contracts. I use those lessons

daily, she offers. “But,

changing my major to graphic

design allowed me the

flexibility to pursue modeling.

It also fueled a passion I have

for marketing and provided a

much-needed creative outlet.

Palmer is currently

signed with Ford Models,

has previously appeared in

several music videos as well

as advertisements for major

fashion retailers, such as

Abercrombie & Fitch and

Hollister. She says balancing

academics and modeling was

not always an easy task.

“There have been times

when I have been asked to

attend a casting call with

very little notice and I’ve had

to decline,” Palmer says. “It

was important to prioritize

my studies and stay focused.”

Her dedication was

successful. She will soon cross

the commencement stage

and later trade her cap and

gown for photo shoots and

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Upon graduation, Florida A&M University’s Nevaeh

Palmer plans to pursue a modeling career, a passion

that she mastered during her time in the School of

Journalism and Graphic Communication.

catwalks. Her career plans

include pursuing modeling

while leveraging her degree

in graphic design to explore

opportunities as a creative

influencer. She credits FAMU

with equipping her with tools

to follow her dreams.

“Starting college during

the pandemic taught me that

life is unpredictable, but if you

remain open, opportunities

will flow in your direction,”

she says.

As she prepares for her

next journey, Palmer hopes

her story will inspire others

Continue reading online at:

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ARIES- Move slowly concerning relationships this week.

People are a little edgy and they don’t know exactly

where you are coming from. Make full explanations.

Don’t assume that they know what’s on your mind.

Most of all, stay positive no matter what. Clinging to the

old will inhibit my growth this week. 6, 8, 20

TAURUS-Exercise will work off some of your excess

energy this week. Take a walk and remember that your

world is made up of many beautiful parts. The part you

are focusing on so intently this week is not your entire

world. Proceed accordingly! I celebrate with those

around me. 13, 29, 34

GEMINI-This week is a good week to dump any extra

baggage that has been pulling you down. You have too

much potential to throw away and waste your time on

issues that will amount to nothing. Stay focused on your

goals. Meet and spend time with people who will be

able to help you reach them. The word is in me. I bring

it forth. 7, 29, 44

CANCER-This is a good week for exercising that clever

mind of yours. Luck will be with you in all endeavors you

start. Luck is with you always because positive outlook

attracts positive vibrations. I enjoy looking at the road of

life sweeping just in front of me. 30, 41, 54,

LEO-Your careless ways with money are going to be

apparent this week. Financial mistakes you’ve made in

the past will be especially painful. Don’t conceal the pain

from yourself. It is a warning that you should take steps

to prevent future financial crisis. I let my friendships

guide my way. 5, 22, 35

VIRGO-Take advantage of the great weather and spend

time outdoors enjoying and relaxing with Mother

Nature. Learn a new sport, and spend time with family

and friends. Don’t take travel matters into your own

hands. Seek a professional who will be able to plan a

wonderful vacation for you without breaking your bank.

Cook up some goodies for your loved ones. I change

who I am by changing where I am going.

3, 20, 23

LIBRA-Everything seems to be moving along in a very

pleasant way this week. Friends are helpful, family is

supportive, even the sun seems to be shining just for

you! Enjoy this harmony and count your blessings. Finish

a task at work. The slowness of my week gives me time

to refresh my energy. 12, 26, 36

SCORPIO-The bond that you established with your

spiritual side works well in your relationship with a special

person. Speak of the reality of the intangible qualities of

life. Your lover will understand. Keep attention on the

financial matters you’ve been dealing with. I obey the

rules this week and avoid hassles. 3, 8, 24

SAGITTARIUS-If you need some time to yourself this

week, take it. You’ll be doing yourself an act of kindness.

Since you do so much for others, why not treat yourself

as well as you treat them? Your world is the way you are

living. Live with love. I get joy from giving good things.

19, 39, 42

CAPRICORN-Remember that exercise is a wonderful

tension-reliever if things get too intense this week. A

walk over your lunch hour could make all the difference

in how you feel this afternoon. Love yourself and reward

yourself with perfect health and happiness. Faith keeps

me calm in the storms of life.

Lucky Numbers: 44, 49, 51

AQUARIUS-You’ve done some of your own love

homework. Hopefully you’ve had an opportunity to

learn a new way of seeing the world and in that way

you’ve found a way of loving that is more natural for

you. The combination of sexiness and joyful focus can

create you a wonderful love experience. I get joy from

giving good things. 14, 23, 37

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PISCES-If you want to keep your positive outlook intact,

avoid gossip and those who might want to just cry the

blues for no good reason. You’ll be happiest this week

if you keep busy and keep your opinions to yourself.

However, good advice is available from an older female

relative. Love is easier than breathing.

12, 30, 50

CALL FOR FORD(954) 557-1203


PAGE 12 • DECEMBER 25, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025

Deeply Rooted

www.thewestsidegazette.com

For the Week oF December 24 - 30, 2024

2 0 2 4 B C S P D I V . I " B A A D T E A M "

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE QB: Draylen Ellis, Sr., Tennessee State; RB: Irv Mulligan, Sr.,

Jackson State; Jaden Sutton, Sr., Delaware State; WR: JaVonnie Gibson, R-So., Ark.-Pine

Bluff; Caden High, So., SC State; TE: Keshawn Toney, Gr., South Carolina State; OL: Nick

Taiste, Sr., SC State; Carson Vinson, Sr., Alabama A&M; Connor Meadows, So., Tennessee

State; D’Andre Townes-Blue, Jr., Jackson State; Darius Fox, Sr., Howard; PK: Guillermo Garcia

Rodriguez, Gr., Prairie View A&M; KR: C. J. Evans, R-Sr., Tennessee State;

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE DL: Elijah Williams, Sr., Morgan State; Ckelby Givens, Jr., Southern;

Treqwan Thomas, Sr., Alabama State; Ashaad Hall, Jr., SC State; LB: Aaron Smith, SC State;

Andrew Jones, Jr., Grambling State; A. J. Richardson, So., Norfolk State; DB: Boogie Trotter,

Jr., Tennessee State; James Burgess, Sr., Alabama State; Kenny Gallop Jr., Sr., Howard;

Ke’Vric Wiggins Jr., Sr., Jackson State; P: Juan Velarde, Sr., NC Central;

2 0 2 4 B C S P D I V . I I / N A I A " B A A D T E A M "

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE QB: Isaiah Knowles, R-So., Albany State; RB: Jada Byers, Sr.,

Virginia Union; Walter Wilbon, Sr., Florida Memorial; WR: Brevin Caldwell, Jr., Johnson C.

Smith; Armone Harris, Jr., Clark Atlanta; TE: Kameron King, R-Sr., Fayetteville State; OL: Bruno

Onwuazor, R-Jr., Virginia State; Dalton Hall, Jr., West Virginia State; Jason Stovall, R-Sr., Miles;

Ahmed Brimah, Jr., Albany State; Larry Jones Jr., Gr., Virginia Union; PK: Brady Myers, Jr.,

Virginia Union; KR: Jaxon Williams, Fr., Benedict;

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE DL: Roc Dowdell, R-Sr., Miles; Isaac Anderson, Sr., Virginia Union;

Israel Nwokocha, Jr., Benedict; Jamichael Rogers, R-Jr., Miles; LB: Benari Black, Sr., Johnson

C. Smith; Ty’Metrius Patterson, Sr., Benedict; Sadiq Salawu, R-Sr., Bowie State; DB: Lashon

Young, Fr., Miles; Nick Blake, Jr., West Virginia State; Justin Fleming, Sr., Winston-Salem State;

Dahlil Wilkins, Sr., Clark Atlanta; P: Marvin Holmes, Sr., Virginia Union;

ONE

LAST

HURRAH!

Steven J. Gaither/HBCU Gameday Photo

NORFOLK STATE, PRAIRIE VIEW HIRE NEW COACHES;

2024 "BAAD TEAMS" UNVEILED; FINAL STAT LEADERS

© AZEEZ Communications, Inc. Vol. XXXI, No. 21

HOMECOMING!: Former NFL

iconic quarterback Michael Vick

returns to his roots in Tidewater

Virginia as the new head football

coach at Norfolk State.

THE STAT CORNER

WHO ARE THE BEST PERFORMERS IN BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS

FINAL 2024 FOOTBALL

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS

Seniors and top numbers in bold

RUSHING YARDS CL G CAR YDS AVG TDS LNG AVG/G

Jada Byers, VUU SR 14 329 2061 6.3 27 75 147.2

Walter Wilbon, FLAMEM SR 10 147 1088 7.4 17 64 108.8

J’Mari Taylor, NCCU R-JR 11 196 1146 5.8 15 66 104.2

Irv Mulligan, JSU GR 12 205 1245 6.1 13 54 103.8

Jaden Sutton, DSU GR 12 184 1216 6.6 12 72 101.3

PASSING YARDS CL G CM - AT - INT PCT YDS TDS LNG YPG

David Wright III, CLATL JR 11 248-402-16 61.7 3271 31 68 297.4

Torrence Bardel, LANG JR 9 169-334-7 50.6 2464 21 76 273.8

Isaiah Knowles, ALB R-SO 10 190-289-8 65.7 2555 32 78 255.5

Draylen Ellis, TNST GR 13 257-415-8 61.9 3029 24 83 233.0

Darius Ocean, JCSU JR 10 170-300-5 56.7 2301 16 56 230.1

PASS EFFICIENCY CL G CMP- ATT- INT PCT YDS TDS LNG AVG EFF

Mark Wright, VUU SR 12 130-199-7 65.3 2263 21 90 188.6 188.6

Isaiah Knowles, ALB R-SO 10 190-289-8 65.7 2555 32 78 255.5 171.0

Romelo Williams, VSU GR 11 142-232-7 61.2 2322 21 91 211.1 169.1

Jamir Dismukes, ALL JR 10 113-192-10 58.9 1842 19 76 184.2 161.7

Kareem Keye, ALS R-FR 9 82-140-4 58.6 1355 11 84 150.6 160.1

RECEPTIONS/GAME CL G REC YDS TD LNG YPC YDS/G R/G

Brevin Caldwell, JCSU JR 10 85 1090 8 53 12.8 109.0 8.5

Armone Harris, CLATL JR 11 75 1004 14 54 13.4 91.3 6.8

Jamal Jones, CLATL JR 11 74 987 6 68 13.3 89.7 6.7

Kevin Allen, LANG SR 9 55 907 5 66 16.5 100.8 6.1

Nathan Rembert, MVSU SO 12 70 1038 4 76 14.8 86.5 5.8

RECEIVING YARDS CL G REC YDS TD LNG YPC RPG YG

Brevin Caldwell, JCSU JR 10 85 1090 8 53 12.8 8.5 109.0

Reginald Vick, Jr., VUU R-SO 10 42 1069 10 74 25.4 4.2 106.9

JaVonnie Gibson, ARKPB R-SO 12 70 1215 9 60 17.4 5.8 101.3

Armone Harris, CLATL JR 11 75 1004 14 54 13.4 6.8 91.3

Da’Shun Mitchell, SAVST SR 10 49 913 9 77 18.6 4.9 91.3

TOTAL OFFENSE CL G RUSH PASS PLAY YDS YDS/G

Torrence Bardell, LANG JR 9 371 2464 421 2835 315.0

David Wright, CLATL JR 11 116 3271 459 3387 307.9

Isaiah Knowles, ALB R-SO 10 76 2555 371 2631 263.1

Draylen Ellis, TNST GR 13 95 3029 490 3124 240.3

Eric Phoenix, SCSU GR 12 242 2603 378 2845 237.1

SCORING CL G TD FG XPT 2XP PTS AVG

Walter Wilbon, FLAMEM SR 10 20 0 0 0 120 12.0

Jada Byers, VUU SR 14 27 0 0 0 162 11.6

J’Mari Taylor, NCCU R-JR 11 17 0 0 0 102 9.3

Joel Felder, WVSU R-JR 11 17 0 0 0 102 9.3

Brandon Marshall, FVSU GR 10 15 0 0 0 90 9.0

ALL-PURPOSE YARDS CL G RUSH RCV PR KR YDS AVG

Jada Byers, VUU SR 14 2061 154 180 0 2395 171.1

Jamal Jones, CLATL JR 11 24 987 101 587 1699 154.5

Anthony Evelyn, LANE SR 10 55 686 157 582 1480 148.0

Brandon Marshall, FVSU GR 10 926 439 0 0 1365 136.5

Joel Felder, WVSU SR 11 976 478 9 0 1463 133.0

KICKOFF RETURNS CL G NO YDS TD LNG AVG

Jaxon Williams, BEN FR 10 17 665 2 96 39.1

C. J. Evans Jr., TNST R-SR 13 19 614 2 99 32.3

Jamal Jones, CLATL JR 11 19 587 2 84 30.9

Ja’qun Wilkins, JCSU SO 10 19 582 1 89 30.6

Travis Terrell Jr., JSU FR 13 18 551 2 96 30.6

PUNT RETURNS CL G NO YDS TD LNG AVG

Dejuan Bell, FVSU GR 10 19 399 3 70 21.0

Cameron Watts, ALB SO 10 13 250 1 64 19.2

Malique Leatherbury, MSU SO 12 16 286 0 63 17.9

Travis Terrell Jr., JSU FR 13 18 300 0 44 16.7

Maleek Huggins, B-CU R-JR 12 12 187 1 77 15.6

PUNTING CL G NO YDS TB FC BLK I20 50+ LNG AVG

Juan Velarde, NCCU SR 11 37 1658 4 16 0 14 11 70 44.8

Alexander Davis, MVSU SO 12 59 2556 8 9 0 8 13 80 43.3

Anthony Frederique, B-CU SO 12 66 2840 4 24 0 25 17 67 43.0

Austin McCready, ALAM JR 12 41 1758 5 9 0 13 9 57 42.9

Marvin Holmes, VUU SR 13 32 1372 1 4 0 10 10 61 42.9

TACKLES CL G POS SOLO Ast. TOT AVG/G

Benari Black, JCSU SR 10 LB 49 65 114 11.4

Andrew Jones, GSU R-JR 12 LB 57 65 122 10.2

Sadiq Salawu, BSU R-SR 10 LB 55 38 93 9.3

Jalil Lenore, CSU R-FR 10 LB 58 35 93 9.3

Devon Irving, LANE JR 10 LB 35 57 92 9.2

Aaron Smith, SCSU GR 10 LB 58 34 92 9.2

SACKS CL G POS SOLO Ast YDS TOT AVG/G

Treqwan Thomas, ALST R-JR 12 LB 11 2 59 12 1.00

Xavier Esquillen, SAVST SO 10 DL 8 3 56 9.5 .95

Caleb Grant, MHS SR 10 LB 9 1 68 9.5 .95

Ashaad Hall, SCSU JR 12 DE 11 0 56 11 .92

Ckelby Givens, SOU JR 13 DE 9 6 46 12 .92

Elijah Williams, MSU SR 12 DL 10 2 112 11 .92

TACKLES FOR LOSS CL G POS SOLO AST YDS TOT AVG/G

Ckelby Givens, SOU JR 13 DE 21 13 99 27.5 2.12

Andrew Jones, GSU R-JR 12 LB 14 13 71 20.5 1.71

Malachi Bailey, ALC JR 12 DL 15 9 79 19.5 1.63

Armonnie Wise, LANG SR 9 DE 12 5 57 14.5 1.61

Davion Watkins, LIV FR 10 DE 13 4 59 15.0 1.50

INTERCEPTIONS CL G INT YDS TD LONG AVG/G

Lashon Young, MILES FR 13 8 148 1 52 0.62

Nick Blake, WVSU JR 11 5 103 2 65 0.45

Stephan French, EWU SO 10 4 66 0 34 0.40

Kevin Larkins, LIV JR 10 4 41 0 25 0.40

Jeremiah Hudson-Davis, MILES SO 11 4 147 0 59 0.36

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE QB: Eric Phoenix, Sr., SC State; RB: J'Mari Taylor, Jr., NC

Central; Donovan Eaglin, Sr., Alabama A&M; WR: Karate Brenson, R-Jr., Tennessee State;

Nathan Rembert, So., Mississippi Valley State; TE: Tavarious Griffin, Sr., Alcorn State; OL:

Trent McDuffie, Jr., Hampton; Trevon Humphrey, R-So., NC Central; Cam Johnson, Sr., SC

State; Charles Davis, R-Jr., Florida A&M; Arelious Dunn, Sr., Alabama State; PK: Gerardo

Baeza, R-Jr., Jackson State; KR: Travis Terrell Jr., Fr., Jackson State;

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE DL: Malachi Bailey, Jr., Alcorn State; Jayden Broughton, Sr., SC

State; Joshua Nobles, Jr., Jackson State; Noah Miles, Jr., HOW LB: Stemarion Edwards, Sr.,

Alcorn State; Demarkus Cunningham, Sr., Alabama State; Jaki Brevard, Sr., NC Central; DB:

Jarod Washington, Sr., SC State; Kole Jones, Sr., NC Central; Amon Scarbrough, Sr., Alabama

State; MJ Hinson, Fr., Texas Southern; P: Anthony Frederique, So., Bethune-Cookman;

LUT WILLIAMS

BCSP Editor

ATLANTA, GA – For the first time, the

Black college SportS page is picking two all-

American teams – what we dub the "Baad Teams"

– from the 2024 football season (see above).

One squad will represent the HBCU

star players that compete in Div. I Football

Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences

and the other representing the HBCU stars that

compete in NCAA Div. II or NAIA conferences.

The separation comes after the BCSP in 2023

went away from ranking the Top Ten teams in all

of black college football to BCSP Top Fives of

FCS and Div. II/NAIA teams. We revealed the

Final Top Fives last week.

Given this new designation, the BCSP will

now select offensive and defensive players of

the year and a coach of the year from each of the

divisions.

The runaway Div. II/NAIA offensive player

of the year for 2024 and leader of that team's

offense is Virginia Union senior running back

Jada Byers. The 5-7, 185-pound Bridgeton, New

Jersey native and VUU career rushing leader

capped off his remarkable four-year career with

his best season. He put up black college-bests of

2,061 rushing yards (147.2 yards per game), 27

touchdowns for 162 points and 171.2 all-purpose

yards per game. Byers led the Panthers to their

second straight CIAA title and third straight

NCAA Div. II playoff berth during his four years

at VUU.

This year however, with Byers as the catalyst,

the Panthers won the program's first two Div. II

playoff games on the road at Wingate and Lenoir-

Rhyne before falling on the road to eventual

national runners-up Valdosta State. VUU had lost

ten straight playoff games prior to this season.

His final year capped off a career that saw

him rush for 874 yards and nine TDs in 2021,

1,979 yards and 19 TDs in 2022 and 1,219

yards and 16 TDs in 2023. His 6,133 rushing

yards, 71 TDs and 426 points shattered fomer

VUU running back Andre Braxton's program

records of 4,989 yards, 27 TDs and 176 points.

At the skill positions, Byers is joined on

the first team by Albany State sophomore

quarterback Isaiah Knowles, the black college

leader in passing touchdowns (32) and completion

percentage (65.7%), Florida Memorial senior

RB Walter Wilbon (1,090 yards, 17 TDs), who

topped the black college ranks in yards per carry

(7.4 ypc.), and receiving leaders in J. C. Smith

junior Brevin Caldwell, who topped the charts

with 85 receptions (8.5 per game) and 109.0

receiving yards per game. The other receiver,

Clark Atlanta junior Armone Harris (75 rec.,

1,004 yards), was the leader with 14 TD receptions.

The rest of the first team offense includes all-

CIAA first team redshirt senior tight end Kameron

King (26 rec., 340 yds., 3 TDs) and Virginia State

junior and CIAA lineman of the year Bruno

Onwuazor, West Virginia State junior Dalton

Hall, Miles redshirt senior Jason Stovall, Albany

State junior Ahmed Brimah and VUU grad senior

Larry Jones Jr. on the offensive line.

The Div. II/NAIA Defensive Player of the

Year is J. C. Smith linebacker Benari Black who

led black college lists with 11.4 tackles per game

(114 total). Black edged out Miles freshman safety

Lashon Young for the individual award. Young's

eight interceptions were best among black college

players and second in Div. II.

On the first team Div. II/NAIA defense

line are Miles redshirt-senior Roc Dowdell and

redshirt junior Jamichael Rogers along with

VUU senior Isaac Anderson and Benedict junior

Israel Nwokocha. Benedict senior Ty'Metrius

Patterson and Bowie State redshirt senior Sadiq

Salawu are the other linebackers with WVSU

junior Nick Blake, Winston-Salem State senior

Justin Fleming and Clark Atlanta senior Dahlil

Wilkins joining Young in the backfield.

The first team placekicker is VUU junior

Brady Myers, (66 PATs. 90 pts.). The punter is

VUU senior Marvin Holmes (42.9 avg.) with

Benedict freshman Jaxon Williams as the kick

returner (39.1 avg, 2 TDs).

Third-year Miles head coach Sam Shade gets

the nod as the Div. II/NAIA Coach of the year.

The Alabama product and former eightyear NFL

safety led the Golden Bears to a perfect 9-0 mark

in winning the SIAC title and to their first Div. II

playoff win in a first round victory over Carson-

Newman.

Choosing the top Div. I (FCS) black college

players of the year on offense and defense was

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE QB: David Wright III, Jr., Clark Atlanta; RB: Brandon Marshall, Gr.,

Fort Valley State; Joel Felder, R-Jr., West Virginia State; WR: Reginald Vick Jr., R-So., Virginia

Union; Da'Shun Mitchell, Sr., Savannah State; TE: Travaunta Abner, Jr., Miles; OL: Jared Achuff,

Sr., Bowie State; Michael Todd, R-Sr., Fayetteville State; Ahmed Brimah, Jr., Albany State;

Austin Euler, Gr., Clark Atlanta; Andrew Dorsey, So., Fort Valley State; PK: Brady Myers, Jr.,

Virginia Union; KR: Dejuan Bell, Gr., Fort Valley State;

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE DL: Lamonte Hill Jr., So., Johnson C. Smith; Davion Watkins,

Fr., Livingstone; Robert Brown, Jr., Lane; Damian Lowery, Sr., Langston; LB: Caleb Grant, Sr.,

Morehouse; Jalil Lenore, Sr., Central State; Carl Poole Jr., Gr., Virginia State; DB: Shamar

Baker, Fr., JCSU; Malik Moore, Jr., Tuskegee; Stephan French, So., Edward Waters; William

Davis, Jr., VUU; P: Lucas Wynn, So., Benedict;

Byers, Black, Ellis, Jones lead 2024 "Baad Teams"

BCSP Notes

Michael Vick the new Norfolk State football coach

Excitement permeated the Norfolk State campus Monday as a

packed house, including local NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and a

host of dignataries, were on hand as the Spartans introduced former NFL

first-round overall pick, star quarterback and four-time NFL Pro Bowler

Michael Vick as its new head football coach.

"It's awesome to look around this room and see the support," Vick

said from the stage at the NSU Student Center in a sit-down interview

following his introduction. "It means a lot when I say full-circle moment,"

the Newport News product said of returning to coach in the Hampton

Roads Virginia area. Vick grew up in nearby Newport News.

"I'm so glad I made this decision," Vick added saying that he

consulted former Jackson State and now Colorado head coach Deion

Sanders about the move. "It wasn't the easiest decision to make but, I love

the game of football, I love teaching it and this is just another step and the

start of a new journey."

Vick takes over from Dawson Odums who was let go after posting a

15-31 record in three years at the helm of the program.

Tremaine Jackson takes over at Prairie View A&M

Tremaine Jackson, fresh off leading Valdosta State to the NCAA

Div. II championship game Saturday, was named over the

weekend as the new head football coach at Prairie View

A&M.

Jackson, whose VSU team was ranked first in the

nation and knocked off SIAC champion Miles and CIAA

champion Virginia Union in this year's Div. II Super

Region II playoffs, announced following VSU's 49-14 loss

to Ferris State in the championship game Saturday, that he was leaving the

Blazers to take over the Panthers' program.

Jackson is no stranger to the Southwestern Athletics Conferencce

(SWAC). He played at Texas Southern in the 2002 and 2003 seasons and

later served on the TSU coaching staff from 2008 to 2011. He had posted

a 30-9 record in three years at VSU.

Jackson takes over from Bubba McDowell who was let go after

posting a 17-18 record in three seasons.

Byers Black Shade

Ellis Jones George

Jackson

a little tougher because there were several

outstanding performers to choose from.

On offense, Tennesse State senior quarterback

Draylen Ellis who topped the black college FCS

lists in passing yards (3,029, 233.0 ypg), TDs

(24), attempts (257) and completions (215) and

Arkansas-Pine Bluff redshirt sophomore wide

receiver Javonnie Gibson, who topped all black

college receivers with 1,215 receiving yards

including an HBCU Div. I best 17.4 yards per

catch, were the most prolific.

The BCSP goes with Ellis as the DI Offensive

POY and his head coach, former Heisman Trophy

winner Eddie George, as the Coach of the Year

after the pair led TSU to a share of the OVC/Big

South title and an FCS playoff berth for the first

time since 2013.

The running backs are SWAC rushing

leader and Offensive Player of the Year, senior

Irv Mulligan (1,235 yds., 13 TDs) of league

champion Jackson State and Delaware State

senior and MEAC rushing leader Jaden Sutton

(1,216 yds., 12 TDs). Joining Gibson at receiver is

sophomore MEAC receiving leader Caden High

(62 rec., 908 yds., 7 TDs) of league champion

South Carolina State. SC State grad Keshawn

Toney (28 rec., 307 yds., 3 TDs) is the tight end.

The offensive line includes Alabama A&M senior

Carson Vinson, SC State senior Nick Taiste,

JSU junior D'Andre Townes-Blue, Tennessee

State sophomore Connor Meadows and Howard

senior Darius Fox.

Grambling State junior linebacker and

SWAC Co-Defensive POY Andrew Jones, whose

122 tackles were the best in black college football

and ninth in all of the FCS, takes the defensive

POY award over game-changers in Morgan State

senior lineman Elijah Williams (54 tackles, 15.0

tackles for loss, 11 sacks) and Howard senior

defensive back Kenny Gallop Jr. (77 tackles, 7.0

TFL, 3 sacks).

HBCU sacks leaders Treqwan Thomas (Sr.,

Alabama State), Ckelby Givens (Jr., Southern)

and Ashaad Hall (Jr., SCSU) are the other

linemen. Aaron Smith (Sr., SCSU, 92 tackles)

and A. J. Richardson (So., Norfolk State, 100

tackles) are the other linebackers.

Aeneas Williams award winner James

Burgess (Sr., Alab. St.), first team all-OVC/Big

South junior Boogie Trotter (Jr., Tenn. St.) and

JSU senior Ke'Vric Wiggins are the others in

the secondary. NC Central senior Juan Velarde

(44.8-yard avg.) is the punter with Prairie View

A&M grad Guillermo Garcia-Rodriguez the

placekicker. Tennessee State redshirt senior C.

J. Evans who averaged 32.3 yards per kickoff

return including two for TDs is the kick returner.

CORRALLED!!

Kansas City defensive back JOSHUA WILLIAMS (#2, FAYETTEVILLE

STATE) takes down Houston QB C. J. Stroud for a sack. (chiefs.com photo)

BCSP NFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

For NFL games of December 19 - 23, 2024

DEFENSE

– #2 JOSHUA WILLIAMS, DB, Kansas City (3rd season,

FAYETTEVILLE STATE) - In Kansas City’s 27-19 win over Houston

Saturday, Williams started at cornerback and had five total tackles,

three solos, and was credited with one sack for -12 yards and one

pass defended. Willams played 34 defensive snaps (58%) and four on

special teams (17%).

OFFENSE

– #72 TERRON ARMSTEAD, OT, Miami (12th season, ARKANSAS-

PINE BLUFF) - In Miami’s 29-17 win San Francisco, Armstead

started at left tackle as the Dolphins rushed for 166 yards and a TD

and passed for 215 yards while the line did not surrender a sack. He

was in on all 67 offensive snaps (100%).

SPECIAL TEAMS

– #6 JAMIE GILLAN, P, New York Giants (6th season, ARKANSAS-

PINE BLUFF) - In the Giants’ 34-7 loss to Atlanta, Gillan punted five

times for 210 yards (42.0-yard average) with a net average of 40.8

yards. He landed three punts inside the 20 and had a long punt of 51

yards. Gillan was in for six special teams’ snaps (25%).


www.thewestsidegazette.com

SPORTS

Nunnie on the Sideline

By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor

The CFP began on Friday night in

South Bend, the home of the Notre

Dame Fighting Irish who hosted state

rival Indiana. Their 27-17 victory over

the Hoosiers wasn’t as close as the score

indicates. This set the theme for other

blowouts: Penn St.’s rout of SMU and

Ohio St.’s demolition of Tennessee, a

team certainly more talented than they

showed Saturday in the cold confines

of the horseshoe against a motivated

Buckeye team that lost at home to

rival Michigan.

Clemson did manage to give Texas a

battle before succumbing to the talented Longhorns.

The blowouts led to searing criticism of the selection

committee for choosing teams with winning records against

virtually weak opponents, while teams with worst records but

stronger opponents were left out of the 12 team field. Certainly

3 loss teams from the SEC like South Carolina, Ole Miss and

Alabama would have been more competitive. Perhaps even the

Miami Hurricanes have a right to complain. The truth be told:

they all lost winnable games which kept them out of the CFP.

However, the selection committee must reevaluate criteria

for selection. Will conference champions continue receiving

automatic bids and how much emphasis will or should be

placed on strength of schedule. Will teams from stronger

conferences with worst won/loss records have priority over

weaker conference champions. Two things for certain: the CFP

selection committee has some retooling to do and the best CFP

games are yet to be played.

Women’s sports has captivated the country across the

spectrum - Caitlin Clark’s emergence as the face of women’s

basketball, both collegiately and professionally, Dawn Staley’s

South Gamecocks emerging as the next dynasty in women’s

basketball and Las Vegas’s Aja Wilson considered the best

player in the WNBA. Of course, the excitement related to

attendance, increased revenue and the garnered attention

hasn’t come without costs- misogyny, racial implications and

homophobia have at times reared their ugly heads. However, I

believe the enthusiasm, excitement, opportunities and support

for young girls and women’s sports will prevail.

Though many believed that Deion Sanders would bolt for

the NFL after this season, his impact on the college football

landscape is undeniable. What he began at Jackson State has

continued under his recommended replacement TC Taylor,

who led the Tigers to a Celebration Bowl victory and a Black

College national championship. Furthermore, the University of

Colorado has seen a significant increase in minority applications

because of Coach Sanders and the athletic program. I certainly

hope he stays at CU. Much of the nation will be watching and

supporting.

First it was the NIL, Name, Image and Likeness, which

began the move away from true amateur athletics as a way of

compensating athletes. Then revenue sharing which virtually

put college athletics in the pay for play category. Not that I

am against athletes being compensated; however, I do think

they’ve gone from one extreme- the theory that an athletic

scholarship was sufficient while hoarding the money for

themselves- to another- overpaying college athletes as if they

were professionals. I don’t know what the solution is, but seeing

players in the transfer portal waiting on the highest bidder or

having players realistically compete for multiple schools in a

4-5 year period is for me a bridge too far. And will all players on

a given team be fairly compensated or will those of lesser talent

or status be relegated to the book depository. Fairness, equity

and inclusion must be considered in this rapidly emerging,

evolution of college athletics.

What say you…..?

Why new Norfolk State coach Michael

Vick shed tears on NFL pregame show

(Photo by Ian Maddox for The Washington Post)

By HBCU Sports

(Source: HBCU)

New Norfolk State coach Michael Vick has begun to open

up why he decided to pursue the profession despite lacking

experience.

On Sunday, during an NFL pregame show on FOX, Vick —

hired by NSU — Friday went into detail about his motivation

and what it now means to be an HBCU football coach in his

hometown.

“When you got a chance to go lead young men in your

community, where I grew up watching this team,” said Vick. “I

got what it takes.”

Vick will be formally introduced as head coach at Norfolk

From

Westside

Gazette

Management

& Staff

Deeply Rooted

Against the Grain II

Don’t be like Shaq and Kobe

this holiday season

By Vaughn Wilson

The way the NBA is going with a heavy

concentration on three-point shots, probably

the last great guard-big man duo in

professional basketball might be Shaquille

O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant. Shaq and

Kobe combined for three consecutive NBA

championships from 2000-2002. Both are

regarded as two of the Top 50 players ever

in the NBA. By most accounts they would both land in the top

20 players of all time.

For a long time the two were both inseparable and

synonymous. A friendly competition on their team somehow

spilled over and grew into a feud between the two. The reason

the disparity grew is of no concern. That is where fingerpointing

and the grey area come into play.

The Lakers were the last team to three-peat for NBA

Championships. O’Neal would migrate to Los Angeles after

starting a promising career in Orlando with the upstart

Magic. Bryant played for one team only…the Lakers. He was

regarded as a prodigy, following the footsteps of his father as

a professional basketball player. Bryant would bypass college

and go straight to the NBA from Lower Merion High School in

Pennsylvania.

The feud between Bryant and O’Neal grew to a nasty public

spectacle. In 2004, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat as

the Lakers prioritized keeping Bryant as Shaq was nearing the

end of his career.

The two had seemed like brothers for most of their

careers. Shaq and Kobe were almost a noun. They were a

thing. They graced the covers of magazines together, they

appeared on shows together, and shared the spotlight for

several appearances on national media stages.

However, unfortunately the distance between the two

grew. Comments, accusations, and just contention grew in the

public arena. Neither of the two would hold back when asked

about the other. Fans chose sides and that fueled the divide

even further. Talk shows took to the issue and made it even

bigger in the public eye.

O’Neal would go on to win a championship with Dwyane

Wade and the Miami Heat in 2006. Bryant would win back-toback

championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. Bryant

would declare after winning his final championship “It’s one

more than him,” referring to O’Neal. From there, things would

only go further downhill.

Suddenly, there was no time to repair their relationship

that by O’Neal’s account could probably have been squashed

by time and conversation. It is one regret that he cannot

repair. He admitted that there were no deal breakers in their

relationship, but they just didn’t get together and put their

differences aside.

In a shocking helicopter crash in 2020 at the age of 41,

Brant passed away. His daughter Gianna was aboard and also

died. It sent shock waves through the entire world. Bryant

was a beloved figure across the globe. In all accounts, it was a

life ended too soon as he was only 41 years old.

O’Neal, who was a broadcaster on the TNT channel finally

was able to verbalize his feelings in public. It was a sorrowful

statement full of regret in a special interview around Bryant’s

demise. “I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while. Our names

will be attached together for what we did. People always ask

about our relationship and I tell em’ it’s like me and Charles

(Barkley). You’ve got two strong-minded people that are going

to get it done their way…gonna say certain things…the respect

will never be lost,” O’neal said.

“I’m going to do a better job of reaching out to people

instead of always procrastinating because you never know. I

could never imagine nothing like this. I wish I could say one

last thing to the people we lost. Once you’re gone you’re gone

forever and we should never take stuff like that for granted.”

Too many family, friends, and other relationships have been

strained by things that may have seemed monumental at the

time, but in fact they are miniscule to the grand scope of life. If

we learned nothing else from the pandemic and the sudden

departure of an astronomical number of family, friends, and

loved ones, it’s that tomorrow is not promised. In some circles

it almost appears cool to be at odds with someone else.

Don’t be like Shaq and Kobe. They went on with their busy

lives and never sat down and put the seemingly small matters

as compared to life and death, that divided them aside. Now,

for the rest of his life, O’Neal admits he will live with regret. He

has taken an oath not to allow that to happen to him again. We

should all be like Shaq in this take as we celebrate this holiday

season, call that friend or family member and celebrate that

there is life in your body to make amends. It will be a weight

lifted that in most cases you realize was not as heavy as either

of you made it.

HBCU football programs express interest in

Teddy Bridgewater to coach

By HBCU Sports

(Source: HBCU)

Nearly a week after retired NFL quarterback Teddy

Bridgewater led Miami Northwestern High School to a state

championship in his first season as coach, he has expectedly

drawn interest from elsewhere.

And elsewhere have been HBCUs with coaching vacancies.

Bridgewater, who played nine seasons in the NFL for seven

Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

Photo: WVSN-TV

DECEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025 • PAGE 13

WG

Fins keep Scant Playoff

Hopes Alive with 29-17

Defeat of Niners

By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor

In last week’s article I may have prematurely written the

Miami Dolphins off as having no chance of making the playoffs.

CBS’ Tony Romo outlined the very minuscule possibility,

indicating that they were mathematically still in the hunt.

Just as last week before the Texans’ defeat, the Dolphins must

win their remaining games against the Cleveland Browns and

the New York Jets, both winnable games on the road, as they

did Sunday against a depleted San Francisco 49er team.

The key is receiving help from other teams in the division

or conference like Indianapolis, Denver, Cincinnati and Los

Angeles. The Dolphins kept their season alive by virtue of

their 27-19 victory over the 49ers and are currently 9th in the

standings, trailing the Chargers, Broncos and Colts who are in

the sixth, seventh and eighth spots respectively. The Dolphins

and Bengals, with 7-8 records, are on the outside looking

in. One or more of the teams must falter and lose games for

the Dolphins to have any chance of securing a wildcard slot.

Basically, Miami must win out and hope for the best.

The Fins gave a supreme effort in securing the victory

capped by Kader Kouho’s game changing interception of 49er

quarterback Brock Purdy, which was followed by De’Von

Achane’s 50 yard touchdown run. He ended with 120 yards

rushing on 17 carries averaging 7.1 yards a carry.

The defense has made steady improvement under Coach

Anthony Weaver as certain players consistently stand out

including Zach Sieler, Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, Jordan

Brooks, and Chop Robinson.

Tua played an exceptional game, throwing for his 100th

touchdown pass as a Dolphin. He also completed 22-of-34

passes (64.7 pct.) for 215 yards and a touchdown. Tight end

Jonnu Smith caught six passes for 62 yards. During the game,

he set the single-season franchise record for receptions and

receiving yards by a tight end.

We’ll see how the season shakes out, while believing that

this Miami Dolphins football team is capable of going far into

playoffs next season.

A’ja Wilson Signs One

Of Largest Nike Deals In

Women’s Basketball History

By Jovonne Ledet

(Source: Black Information Network)

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is again breaking barriers.

According to Essence, Wilson signed a six-year contract

extension with Nike, inking one of the biggest deals for

a women’s basketball player in history.

The extension comes after Wilson announced that her

signature shoe, A’Oe, will drop this spring ahead of the 2025

WNBA season.

“It’s been incredible working with Nike toward a dream of

having my collection, and it really is an honor to take this next

step and become a Nike signature athlete,” Wilson previously

said in a statement. “From my logo to the look of the shoe and

the pieces throughout the collection, we’ve worked to make

sure every detail is perfectly tuned to my game and style.”

The exact amount Wilson is receiving from her new

extension remains unclear, but the deal is said to be one of the

most lucrative for a women’s basketball player in history.

In 2024, Wilson made history as the first player to surpass

1,000 points in a single season.

The WNBA star said she hopes girls will feel empowered

when they wear her shoe.

“I hope when girls wear this shoe, they believe in themselves,”

Wilson previously said. “I want them to hopefully lace them up,

feel powerful and understand that nobody can stop them from

their dreams. Set those goals high. Go get them — that’s the

biggest thing.”

FAMU Legend Jacquay Nunnally Selected

for Black College Football Hall of Fame

Class of 2025

(Source: famuathletics.com )

TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Florida A&M University football

legend Jacquay Nunnally, one of the most prolific receivers

in NCAA history, has been selected for induction into

the Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025,

Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com

Photo: Getty Images


PAGE 14 • DECCEMBER 26, 2024 - JANUARY 1, 2025

Deeply Rooted

www.thewestsidegazette.com

Culture for Service and Service for Humanity’: Phi Beta Sigma Way touches down in Miami Gardens

Street renamed to honor 110-year legacy of Black fraternity

duty, it was instilled with the

motto “Culture for Service

and Service for Humanity.”

“Phi Beta Sigma has

consistently led by example,

setting the standard for

Submitted by Alonda

Thomas

FAMU Media

inclusivity and service,”

Parramore said. “The

fraternity’s work in civil

rights, education, and

economic empowerment has

inspired many.”

The Rho Sigma Chapter

was established in 1927

during the Jim Crow era by

community leaders like Dr.

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

Best Friends Forever: FAMU College of

Law Fosters Friendship Among Graduates

The City of Miami Gardens is honoring Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity with a street

renaming ceremony.

(City of Miami Gardens Florida Government via Facebook)

Liberty City.

(Instagram@rhosigma1927)

Florida Memorial University

celebrates 110 years of Phi

Beta Sigma.

(Instagram@fmu_official)

The Rho Sigma Chapter poses

during its Holiday Toy Drive.

(Instagram@rhosigma1927)

The Rho Sigma Chapter is

committed to helping residents

and seniors with groceries

throughout Miami Gardens

and Miami-Dade County.

(Instagram@rhosigma1927)

Marcelin Fils-Aime, Rho

By Amelia Orjuela Da

Silva, Miami Times Staff

Writer

On Dec. 19 at 4 p.m.,

the City of Miami Gardens

will host a street renaming

ceremony to honor the Phi

Beta Sigma Fraternity and its

Rho Sigma Chapter, marking

a significant moment in the

fraternity’s history. The

event, set to take place at Dr.

Lester Brown Park, follows

a resolution passed by the

city council on Oct. 23, 2024,

sponsored by Councilmember

Reggie Leon.

A portion of Northwest

191st Street, from Northwest

29th Avenue to 32nd Avenue,

will officially be renamed

“Phi Beta Sigma Way” as

a permanent tribute to

the fraternity’s dedication

to service, leadership and

community development.

Marcelin Fils-Aime,

president of the Rho Sigma

Chapter, stressed the

significance of the street

renaming.

The City of Miami Gardens

is honoring Phi Beta Sigma

Fraternity with a street

renaming ceremony.

“We’re making history

right now,” he said. “We’re

documenting this moment so

that 40 years from now, when

somebody arrives by that

street and wonders why it was

named ‘Phi Beta Sigma Way,’

they will know the impact we

had on the community.”

Marcus Parramore, a Rho

Sigma Chapter historian,

echoed this sentiment.

“It reassures me that

people value our fraternity’s

contributions to society and

want to ensure its legacy

endures,” he said.

Phi Beta Sigma was

founded in 1914 at Howard

University on principles of

brotherhood, scholarship, and

community service.

The Founding Vision

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity

was founded on Jan. 9, 1914,

at Howard University by A.

Langston Taylor, Leonard

F. Morse and Charles I.

Brown. Built upon principles

of brotherhood, scholarship,

community service, and civic

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

ORLANDO – Attending

law school can sometimes feel

like a long and challenging

process; however, two

graduates from the Florida

A&M University (FAMU)

College of Law discovered

friendship and motivation

through their collective desire

to pursue their dreams to

become attorneys. A chance

meeting for Christina

Lanzilla and Stephanie

Maines through a mutual

acquaintance birthed an

unbreakable friendship

forged during the demanding

journey through law school.

The new BFFs (Best Friends

Forever) will graduate and

participate in the Fall 2024

commencement exercises in

Tallahassee on Saturday,

Dec. 14.

Christina, unsure of

her path after earning

her psychology degree,

found inspiration during a

conversation with a family

friend who is in an attorney.

“When I went to speak

with the attorney about

possibly going to law school,

he informed me of all the doors

that having a juris doctorate

could open for me, even if I

had chosen not to become

an attorney. He also told me

about the reward of helping

others in the community,

L to r: Christina Lanzilla and Stephanie Maines pose for

graduation photos in celebration of completing FAMU

College of Law.

and the beauty of making

connections within the legal

field,” said Christina. “I

was hesitant, knowing this

would be a long, grueling,

and financially burdensome

decision, but he assured

me that it was nothing that

I couldn’t overcome with

a little persistence and

determination. I’ve always

classified myself as a very

driven person, so at this point

in my life, when I saw all the

opportunities law school could

provide for my future, I knew

there was nothing that could

stop me.”

Stephanie began her

legal journey as a paralegal,

encouraged by her mentor

– the same attorney – to

pursue law school despite her

initial doubts. That same day,

Stephanie shared her recent

acceptance to FAMU Law and

convinced Christina to take

the leap into law school.

“I told Christina that

anything she needed help

with in the application process

I would help her with,” said

Stephanie. “I told her I was

pursuing law school because of

Continue reading online at:

thewestsidegazette.com

Let BCT take you on a magical ride

This holiday season, take Broward County Transit to your favorite festivities,

shopping and more. Sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderment of the season.

It’s easy, simple and affordable! Just Try It. BCT takes you where you want to go.

To plan your holiday trips, visit Broward.org/BCT Or call Customer Service At 954-357-8400.

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