The Westside Gazette

PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
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FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310
PERMIT NO. 1179
Race Shadows
Every Assault on
the Affordable
Care Act
PAGE 3
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025
VOL. 54 NO. 45 $1.00
Former State Rep.
Launches Bid for
Pompano Commission,
District 4
Cites Neglect, Disrespect,
and Millions in Lost Funding
Former State
Rep. Patricia Hawkins Williams
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
POMPANO BEACH, FL — In a
decisive move that is already reshaping the
political conversation in Pompano Beach,
former Florida State Representative
Patricia Hawkins Williams has officially
announced her candidacy for City
Commission, District 4. Her message is
direct, unapologetic, and rooted in what
she calls “a year of watching dysfunction
up close.”
“I have attended commission meetings
for a year,” Williams told the Westside
Gazette. “I watched them attack
employees, vote for things they knew
would hurt — or were simply not good
(Cont’d on page 3)
The land designated for the Trump library sits
directly across Biscayne Boulevard from the
historic Freedom Tower. (Florida Politics)
Miami Dade
College revotes to
give away Miami
land for Donald
Trump library
By Jesse Scheckner, Florida Politics
(Source: The Miami Times)
Miami Dade College’s Board of
Trustees has again approved the transfer
of more than 2.6 acres of prime downtown
Miami land for Donald Trump’s planned
presidential library.
The Board OK’d the move
unanimously for a second time, despite
a still-pending lawsuit alleging that the
public college violated Florida’s Sunshine
Law during its first vote in September.
Held at MDC’s campus in Hialeah,
the Board’s redo meeting drew dozens of
students, faculty, alumni and activists
Reading online at:
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FBI Report Warns of Fear, Paralysis, And
Political Turmoil Under Director Kash Patel
BLACKPRESSUSA
NEWSWIRE — Six months
into Kash Patel’s tenure
as Director of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, a
newly compiled internal
report from a national
alliance of retired and
active-duty FBI agents and
analysts delivers a stark
warning about what the
Bureau has become under
his leadership.
By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Corres.
Six months into Kash Patel’s tenure as Director
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a newly
compiled internal report from a national alliance
of retired and active-duty FBI agents and analysts
delivers a stark warning about what the Bureau
has become under his leadership. The 115-page
document, submitted to Congress this month, is
built entirely on verified reporting from inside field
Submitted
by Teresa
Candori
National Urban League President
and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the
following statement in response
to President Trump’s comments
about Somali Americans:
“The President’s abhorrent
slurs against Somali Americans
are not simply beneath the dignity
Marking 70 Years of
Sisterhood, Scholarship,
and Service in the
Community
offices across the country
and paints a picture of an
agency gripped by fear,
divided by ideology, and
drifting without direction.
The report’s authors
write that they launched
their inquiry after receiving
troubling accounts from
inside the Bureau only
four months into Patel’s
tenure. They describe their
goal as a pulse check on
whether the ninth FBI
director was reforming the Bureau or destabilizing
it. Their conclusion: the preliminary findings were
discouraging.
Reports Describe Widespread Internal Distrust
and Open Hostility Toward President Trump
Sources across the country told investigators that
a large number of FBI employees openly express
hostility toward President Donald Trump. One source
reported seeing an “increasing number of FBI Special
Agents who dislike
the President,”
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE CALLS ON LEADERS
TO REJECT TRUMP’S DIVISIVE RHETORIC
AND STAND AGAINST BIGOTRY
Broward County Alumnae
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta
Celebrates Seven Decades of Impact
The Broward County
Alumnae Chapter of
Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. proudly
celebrates its 70th
anniversary—a remarkable
milestone highlighting seven
decades of sisterhood, scholarship, and service.
Since its founding, the chapter has remained
steadfast in its commitment to uplifting Broward
County through impactful community programs
and educational initiatives.
For 48 years, the Broward County Alumnae
Chapter has provided scholarships to high
school graduates, encouraging their pursuit of
higher education. In recent years, this support
has expanded to include scholarships for college
students and aspiring nurses, reflecting the
chapter’s responsiveness to the community’s
evolving educational and professional needs.
At the close of the 2025 school year, the chapter
awarded more than $120,000 in scholarships to
deserving students—funding that not only helps
recipients achieve their academic goals but also
cultivates future community leaders. As the 2026
school year approaches, members aim to surpass
that impressive milestone and further strengthen their impact
across Broward County.
As the Broward County Alumnae (Cont’d on page 2)
of his office — or of any selfrespecting
adult — but dangerous
and fundamentally un-American.
These words are an attack on the
very principles of equality and
dignity that define our nation.
“Immigrants and their
descendants are the foundation of
this country, and Somali Americans
are no exception. They contribute
to our communities, our economy,
and our culture. To demean them
By Willy Blackmore
(Source Tennessee Tribune)
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com
with hateful rhetoric is to fuel
division and incite hostility against
an entire group of people based on
their heritage.
“The National Urban League
calls on all leaders—regardless
of party—to reject this language
unequivocally. We must stand
together against bigotry and affirm
that America’s strength lies in its
diversity and its commitment to
justice for all.”
How Dr. Chavis defined America’s
environmental racism
Dr. Benjamin Chavis turned the spotlight on the Toxic
Targeting of Black communities. (Photo courtesy of www.loe.
BROOKLYN, NY —In 1978, just a year after the
Environmental Protection Agency began to ban PCBs,
30,000 gallons of oil containing the widely used chemical
additives were secretly dumped in North Carolina.
Or sprayed, rather: for three months, a pair of brothers
drove during the night across 14 counties, spraying the
side of the road with the oil.
It was a last-ditch solution to a failed scheme to corner
the market for PCBs after their domestic production was
banned.
The illegal disposal of the chemicals was soon
discovered, and North Carolina authorities had to figure
out how to clean it all up. Their solution? Remove the dirt
that was illegally
contaminated with the carcinogenic chemicals and legally
dump all 10,000 truckloads in a new landfill in Warren
County, where the population was 60 percent percent
Black.
(Cont’d on page 6)
A MESSAGE FROM
THE PUBLISHER
“Holiday
Guests,
Fungus Flies,
and the Rot
We Keep
Ignoring”
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
As the holidays draw
near, many of us turn our
attention to preparing
our homes for cleaning,
decorating, and making
space for family and friends.
In my household, that
preparation came with an
unexpected lesson. We were
being pestered, nagged,
and flat-out intruded
upon by what we thought
were harmless fruit flies.
You know the kind those
little nuisances that dance
around your kitchen like
Muhammad Ali, jabbing left
and right while your guests
pretend not to see them.
Like any good homeowner,
we tried every remedy we
could find. Vinegar traps,
dish soap, homemade
concoctions, wipes, sprays
everything short of calling
on the ancestors. But
those stubborn pests only
multiplied.
Finally, we called in the
professionals.
And to our surprise, these
weren’t fruit flies at all. They
were fungus flies, born not
from our fruit bowl, but from
the soil of our houseplants.
They were living beneath the
surface. To fix the problem,
we had to take every plant
outside, wash them down
to the roots, shake off every
bit of infested soil, and repot
them in new, treated soil. A
serious job. A messy job. But
a necessary job.
And that, my friends, is
where the real lesson begins.
(Cont’d on page 3)
Thursday
Dec 11 th
Partly Cloudy
Sunrise: 6:43am
Fri
55°
76°
64°
78°
68°
77°
65°
77°
57°
74°
Sunset: 5:29pm
Sat Sun Mon Tues
64°
74°
The Westside Gazette Newspaper
@TheWestsideGazetteNewspaper
WESTSIDE GAZETTE IS A MEMBER:
National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA)
Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)

ontinues
trides in
ent loan
their student debt. Biden
said the plan aims to create
a more affordable student
PAGE 2 • DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025
Double the Black
Excellence and Brilliance
L: to R: Madison Webb and Christian Flournoy
The Atlanta Great Debaters captured the
Harvard debate championship for the third
consecutive year, delivering an outstanding
performance while competing virtually against
top students from around the world.
According to 11 Alive, the team showcased
exceptional skill, discipline and leadership, with
standout performances from Madison Webb and
Christian Flournoy, who also secured individual
List compiled by Kamar Jackson,a junior at Dillard High School
44,000 teachers, nurses,
firefighters, and other public
service professionals who
relief through income-driven
repayment plans will now see
their debts forgiven.
Broward County Top Teens of America
Explore Freedom of Speech, Banned
Books, and Civic Engagement
The Broward County Radiance Chapter of Top Teens of America
under the leadership of Jennifer A. Davis, Top Teen Advisor, and
Top Teen President Klassik Wright. The teens were joined by two
distinguished guest speakers: Bacardi Jackson, Director of the
Florida ACLU, and Florida State Senator Rosalind Osgood.
victories.
Webb made history as the
first Black female student
to win the competition,
while Flournoy became
the youngest Black male
champion to earn the honor
— marking a powerful
moment of representation and
achievement.
The success of the team
is rooted in the Harvard
Diversity Project, which
identifies and trains talented
Black students from Metro
Atlanta, introducing them to
academic debate and creating
pathways for excellence in
education and leadership.
BROWARD COUNTY, FL —The Broward
County Radiance Chapter of Top Teens of
America under the leadership of Jennifer
A. Davis, Top Teen Advisor, and Top Teen
President Klassik Wright, held a powerful and
engaging October meeting that blended three
of the organization’s national programmatic
thrusts — Legislative Awareness, Literacy, and
Community Partnerships — into one impactful
civic engagement experience for local teens.
The meeting’s theme, “Freedom of Speech:
The Power of Your Voice,” encouraged teens
to explore the importance of self-expression,
Broward County Alumnae
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta
Celebrates Seven Decades of Impact from FP
Chapter observes this significant anniversary, its members
honor a past rooted in resilience and progress while looking
ahead to an even more promising future. With continued
dedication to service and empowerment, the chapter stands
ready to extend its legacy of leadership for generations to
come.
barriers preventing borrowers
from accessing the relief they
were entitled to under the law.
www.thewestsidegazette.com
College
Prep
archetypal
adjective
(adjective)
Word of
the Week
being at rest; or thing inactive or
HOW TO USE IN A SENTENCE:
motionless; quiet; still: a
“The story features the archetypal hero’s journey,”
quiescent mind.
definition: very typical of a certain kind of person
literacy, and civic participation. The teens were
joined by two distinguished guest speakers: Bacardi
Jackson, Director of the Florida ACLU, and Florida
State Senator Rosalind Osgood.
In a discussion led entirely by the teens,
participants engaged in open and candid dialogue
surrounding censorship, banned books, and free
expression. The teens asked thoughtful questions
and shared perspectives on how these issues directly
affect their generation.
Bacardi Jackson emphasized the importance of
youth civic voice, stating, “Freedom of speech is only
as powerful as the people who are willing to use it.
You are never too young to speak
up, challenge injustice, and demand change.”
Senator Osgood, who is also a member of the
Broward County Radiance Chapter of Top Ladies of
Distinction, Inc., welcomed the opportunity to speak
with the teens, stating that she “always
welcomes the chance to enlighten the
minds of teens and future voters.” She
encouraged the teens to view themselves
as future leaders and changemakers,
explaining how they can impact policy
by running for positions such as school
board seats — a position she held for
many years. The discussion also included
creative advocacy ideas, including the
vision of placing Little Free Libraries
stocked with banned books across the
street from schools where such books
have been restricted.
As part of the chapter’s literacy thrust,
each teen received a copy of “The Hate U
Give” by Angie Thomas — a nationally
recognized novel frequently found on
banned book lists — gifted by their Top
Lady mentors to encourage awareness,
dialogue, and critical thinking.
Further reinforcing civic
responsibility, representatives from the
Broward County Board of Elections were
on-site to pre-register teens ages 16 and
older to vote. Many teens eagerly
completed the process, marking their first
official step into the democratic process.
In recognition of Breast Cancer
Awareness Month and Top Ladies Area
IV’s “Pink Out” initiative, the teens
proudly wore pink attire in solidarity and
support of breast cancer survivors and
continued research efforts.
The Broward County Radiance
Chapter of Top Teens of America falls
under the leadership of the chapter’s Top
Ladies of Distinction, Inc., whose Chapter
President is Keisa Heard. Jennifer
A. Davis, also a member currently serves
as the Top Teen Advisor for the 2025–
2027 programming years. Under her
leadership and the guidance of the Top
Ladies, the chapter continues to prepare
youth for leadership, service, and civic
engagement. Top Teens of America seeks
to create leaders in the communities
we serve by empowering teens with
confidence, knowledge, and purpose.
q
It’s p
long
subt
as w
Leia’s Mathematics
Corner
A teacher makes 9 gift bags with 5 treats in
each bag.
How many treats are there in all?
32
x 4
45
- 32
Created by Leia P.
4th grader!

www.thewestsidegazette.com
Ain’t That A VHIT
A Renewed
Mind
By Von C. Howard
At some point in life, we all
reach a moment when we
realize the real battle isn’t
around us; it’s within us. It’s in
how we think, how we interpret
our experiences, and how we
choose to move forward. That
realization is where renewal
begins.
To have a renewed mind is to
make a daily decision to grow,
emotionally, professionally,
spiritually, and socially, no
matter what life throws your
way. It’s choosing not to let your
past define your potential, and
to believe that change isn’t just
possible; it’s necessary.
The Power of Choosing
Renewal Every Day
In a world that moves fast,
where opinions are loud and
attention is short, renewal can
seem like a lost art. But every
day gives us a new chance to
pause, breathe, and reset our
thoughts. Scripture reminds us
in Romans 12:2 (NIV):
“Do not conform to the pattern
of this world but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.”
That’s not just a spiritual
statement, it’s a life principle.
Transformation begins with
what we allow to shape our
thoughts. If we feed our
minds negativity, fear, or
comparison, that’s what will
take root. However, when we
fill our thoughts with gratitude,
purpose, and faith, renewal
begins to take shape from the
inside out.
You don’t need a new year, a
new job, or a new relationship
to start over. You just need a
new mindset.
Growth in Every Season of
Life
Renewal looks different for
everyone. For a young adult, it
might mean learning patience
and resilience when plans
don’t unfold as expected. For
a parent or partner, it could
be finding balance between
caring for others and caring for
yourself. For professionals, it’s
embracing growth over comfort,
being willing to unlearn old
habits and lead with empathy.
For elders, it may mean finding
peace in reflection, wisdom
in rest, and joy in mentoring
others.
Regardless of where you
are in life, the principle is the
same: growth takes intentional
effort. Philippians 4:8 reminds
us to think on things that are
true, noble, right, pure, lovely,
and praiseworthy. That kind of
thinking builds inner strength,
the kind that no setback, social
media trend, or global crisis can
take away.
Letting Go to Move Forward
One of the hardest lessons in
life is learning to let go, not just
of people or situations, but of old
versions of ourselves. We can’t
move forward if we’re always
looking backward. Holding onto
resentment, guilt, or regret only
clutters the space where peace
is supposed to live.
Letting go doesn’t erase what
happened; it just redefines it. The
past becomes your teacher, not your
identity. In Isaiah 43:18–19, God
says, “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past. See, I
am doing a new thing!” Renewal
is about recognizing that “new
thing”, the quiet ways in which
growth, healing, and opportunity
Continue reading online at:
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1.6 Million Americans Removed From
Medicaid Under Trump Administration
(Src: Black Information Network)
About 1.6 million Americans
have been removed from Medicaid
during the first six months of
President Donald Trump’s second
term, according to new numbers
from the health research group
KFF, per Newsweek.
The drop reflects continued
rollbacks of pandemic-era
protections that expanded
access to the program. During
the COVID-19 public health
emergency, states were barred
from removing people from
Medicaid even if their income
Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images
changed.
That policy, enacted under former President Joe Biden, pushed enrollment to more
than 87 million people by March 2023, up from 64.5 million in early 2020. States restarted
removals in March 2023, and coverage has steadily declined. As of July 2025, enrollment
had fallen to about 70.3 million. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
said it aims to balance eligibility enforcement with protecting access, telling Newsweek it
is “committed to protecting the most vulnerable Americans” while ensuring states provide
coverage “only to those who are eligible.”
The decrease comes ahead of bigger policy shifts. Trump’s proposed “One Big Beautiful
Bill” includes about $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, according to the Congressional Budget
Office. Health policy experts warn that new work reporting rules and added paperwork
could push many more people out of the program.
At the same time, the administration has not renewed enhanced Affordable Care
Former State Rep. Launches cont’d from FP
good — for the community,
and talk about the Northwest
area as if we’re a third-world
country.”
Her announcement has
electrified many residents
in Northwest Pompano, a
historic community with
deep cultural roots, longstanding
disparities, and a
growing sense of frustration
about how decisions at City
Hall continue to unfold.
A COMMUNITY
DISRESPECTED AND
MISREPRESENTED
Williams minced no
words in describing what
she views as a pattern of
disrespect from members of
the current commission.
“There are commissioners
who do not
respect the district in which I
live,” she said. “They need to
understand we’re a resilient
community. We have doctors,
nurses, lawyers, teachers,
pastors, principals, police
of-ficers, detectives, social
workers, entrepreneurs —
people who have kept us
fed, grounded, and moving
forward.”
District 4 — which
includes much of Pompano’s
Northwest community —
has long struggled with
uneven redevelopment,
delayed capital projects, and
chronic underinvestment
compared to the rest of the
city. Yet it remains one of
Pompano’s cultural anchors
and economic engines, home
to families who have lived
there for generations.
Residents have repeatedly
voiced concerns about:
*Stalled infrastructure
improvements
*Inconsistent
code
enforcement
*Lack of transparency in
redevelopment decisions
*Insufficient invest-ment
in youth and com-munity
programming
*A widening divide between
East and West Pompano
priorities
Williams says those
issues are not accidents —
they are direct consequences
of poor leadership and
misplaced priorities.
THE $6.5 MILLION
QUESTION
One of the most explosive
criticisms in Williams’
launch centers on what she
describes as “leaving $6.5
million on the table.”
Though she did not disclose
details in her initial
announcement, the remark
most likely refers to a major
funding opportunity —The
Community Benefits Trust,
City leadership failed to
secure or act upon.
Trust commits $6.5
million over 10 years to
improve the quality of life
for Northwest Pompano
residents impacted by the
Downtown Project. Funded
through amendments to
the Master Development
Agreement (MDA), the
Trust supports programs
the City or CRA typically
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
Florida former State Rep. Patricia Hawkins Williams.
elders, students, families, and
leaders who deserve respect
— and results.”
cannot fund. For a district
where infrastructure gaps,
housing inequities, and
economic barriers are welldocumented,
the loss of such a
sizable investment is seen as a
profound setback.
“Leaving $6.5 million dollars
on the table is unacceptable,”
Williams said. “No responsible
leader — at any level — should
allow something like that to
happen.”
Her legislative background
gives weight to the claim. As a
former State Representative,
Williams is no stranger to
navigating Tallahassee or
bringing resources back home.
Supporters argue that her
experience is precisely what
District 4 needs to avoid missed
opportunities and overlooked
funding.
A CITY AT A CROSSROADS
Williams’ entrance into
the race comes at a time when
Pompano Beach is facing:
*Rising concerns about
transparency in commission
decisions.
*Public criticism over
treatment of city employees,
including accusations of
hostility and overreach.
*Continued
tension
surrounding redevelopment
in historically Black
neighborhoods.
*Questions over whether
the city’s growth benefits all
residents — or only certain
ZIP codes.
Many longtime Northwest
residents say the tone coming
from the dais has grown
increasingly dismissive.
“When our own
commissioners talk about
the Northwest like it’s a
blighted wasteland, it sends
a message,” said one resident
who asked not to be named.
“It tells investors not to come,
it tells the city not to care,
and it tells our children they
don’t matter.”
Williams echoed those
concerns, emphasizing that
community pride should
not have to stand in place of
equitable treatment.
“We are not a third-world
country,” she said. “We are a
community of professionals,
THE CAMPAIGN AHEAD
Williams is expected to
run on a platform focused on:
*Restoring integrity and
professionalism in city
leadership
*Securing previously lost or
ignored funding streams
*Ensuring equitable
redevelopment — not
displacement
*Strengthening city workforce
morale and accountability
*Championing District 4’s
history, people, and economic
potential
Her candidacy immediately
positions her as the most
experienced contender in the
race. She is also one of the
few individuals in the city’s
recent history with a direct
legislative track record and
long-standing community
roots.
Observers say her entry
may signal a shift in political
energy across Northwest
Pompano — a district with a
powerful voice and an even
more powerful memory.
“I’m From District 4 — and
I’m Standing Up for District
4.”
As Williams put it:
I just can’t sit on the
sidelines and do nothing
(when you know something
is wrong and you sit and do
nothing, you’re part of the
problem) it’s time for the
northwest area to rethink,
refocus and rebuild. It is time
to think about the future for
the generations to come. It is
time to agree to disagree for
the betterment of the people.
It is time for a change. I am a
former State Representative.
I am from District 4. And I
refuse to stand by while our
community is disrespected or
left behind. This is our home
— and it’s time for leadership
that honors it.”
With election season
approaching, one thing is
clear:
Pompano Beach District 4
is no longer sitting quietly.
aAAA
DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025 • PAGE 3
Race Shadows Every Assault
on the Affordable Care Act
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The battles over the
Affordable Care Act were never only about policy or the
price of insurance. They were never simply arguments about
federal subsidies, individual mandates, or the markets that
hold the system together.
By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
The battles over the Affordable Care Act were never only about
policy or the price of insurance. They were never simply arguments
about federal subsidies, individual mandates, or the markets that
hold the system together. From the moment America elected a
Black president and that president dared to place the health of the
poor and the marginalized at the center of national law, a deeper
truth rose to the surface. That truth has followed the country for
centuries. It was waiting for its next target. The target became
Barack Obama. The instrument became Obamacare.
Long before Republicans vowed to “repeal and replace,” the
lines were already drawn. The same forces that spent years
questioning Obama’s citizenship, intellect, and legitimacy turned
their fury toward the most expansive health care protections
in generations. Black lawmakers and health equity advocates
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
A MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER
America’s House Is Also Full of Fungus Flies
For years now, we have watched our nation swat at
political pests- little lies, big lies, scandals, corruption, threats,
intimidation, and behavior that used to send elected officials
into early resignation. We’ve convinced ourselves that we’re
dealing with harmless “fruit flies,” a momentary irritation.
Something we can ignore, outlast, or wish away.
But what we are living through is not harmless. And it’s
not on the surface.
The chaos surrounding Donald Trump, his cronies, his
enablers, and yes even members of a Supreme Court that
increasingly behaves more like a political arm than a judicial
body is not a mere annoyance. It is not a blip. It is not a fly you
can swat with a rolled-up newspaper.
It is fungus rooted deep in the soil of our political life.
It spreads silently.
It feeds off neglect.
And it thrives when we tell ourselves, “It’s not that bad.”
The Problem Is Below the Surface
Like our infested houseplants, America’s roots have been
shaken by a political movement grounded in grievance,
corrupted power, and a willingness to undermine the very
foundations of democracy.
What started as a few loud voices has become a culture of
intimidation and lawlessness embraced by:
• elected officials who twist truth into a pretzel,
• supporters who chant for authoritarianism as if it were a
holiday song,
• judges who confuse their personal beliefs with constitutional
duty, and
• leaders who would rather burn down the house than lose
an argument inside it.
This is not surface mess.
This is soil gone bad.
And unless we are willing to get our hands dirty, (I’m
talking about root-deep dirty) we will keep dealing with pests
that multiply faster than we can swat them.
You Cannot Fix Rot With Air Freshener
Many Americans especially Black Americans understand
what it means to keep a home standing despite storms. We
know what it means to build, repair, and rebuild again. But
even we can fall into the trap of thinking a little political
breeze will carry away all the stenches.
It won’t.
We cannot holiday-clean our way out of this moment.
We cannot pretend that the situation at our highest levels
of leadership is normal when everything about it screams
decay.
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
This Week in Health: Managing Holiday Depression
Understanding Holiday Depression
The holiday season, while often associated
with joy and celebration, can also bring about
feelings of sadness, loneliness, and stress for
many people. This experience is commonly
referred to as “holiday depression” or the
“holiday blues.”
What Causes Holiday Depression?
Many factors can contribute to feelings of
depression during the holidays:
• Loneliness or Loss: Being away from
loved ones or grieving someone can
intensify sadness.
• High Expectations: Pressure to create
perfect celebrations or meet social
standards can lead to disappointment.
• Financial Stress: Gift-giving and travel
expenses may cause anxiety.
• Disrupted Routines: Changes in sleep,
diet, and activity can affect mood.
Westside Health Brief
Marsha Mullings, MPH
December 8, 2025
• Family Dynamics: Tense relationships
or unresolved conflicts may surface
during gatherings.
Common Symptoms
People experiencing holiday depression may
notice:
• Persistent sadness or irritability
• Fatigue or low energy
• Difficulty sleeping or changes in
appetite
• Loss of interest in usual activities
• Trouble concentrating
Coping Strategies
If you’re struggling with holiday depression,
consider these tips:
• Reach Out: Connect with friends,
family, or support groups—even
virtually.
• Take Care of Yourself: Maintain
healthy routines, get outside, and
exercise.
• Limit Social Media: Avoid comparing
your experience to others online.
• Seek Help: If feelings persist or worsen,
consider talking to a mental health
professional.
Holiday depression is a common experience.
By understanding its causes and practicing
self-care, you can navigate the season with
greater resilience. Remember, reaching out
for support is a sign of strength.

PAGE 4 • DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025
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President Nixing MLK,
Juneteenth ‘Fee Free’
Days in National Parks can
BACKFIRE!
By Audrey Peterman
Since Friday multiple people sent me
this story, National parks cut free entry
for MLK Day, add Trump’s birthday. I
shared it on social media with a post
explaining that I am not at all disturbed
by this development and see that it could
mark a turning point.
The President is going out of his way
to gut an honor for a bona fide hero and Nobel Prize Winner
to give it to himself, the recipient of a “FIFA Peace Award.”
Ending fee-free day to the National Parks for Dr. King’s
birthday and Juneteenth is an act of racial animus with which
no American president should every align himself.
We know that the president and his ilk are so insecure that
they’re trying to wipe out Black Americans from history, which
is impossible. No doubt they’re hoping we’ll be outraged so
they can feed on more pain. But we should not give them the
satisfaction.
Instead, we can joyfully, gloriously embrace the National
Park System - on those days in particular - because guess
what? Of the 433 units of the system comprising nature parks,
historic sites, monuments, battlefields and seashores, LESS
THAN 100 CHARGE ENTRANCE FEES! So it’s incredibly
easy for us to show how we really feel about efforts to erase us.
For 30 year my husband Frank and I and many others have
pointed out that the entire history of Black, Brown, and White
America is in the National Park System. Many people think
“park” just means playground, but in fact the national parks
are like the veins that carry the blood of history and memory
from antiquity until now through our body politic.
There is Earth in the parks untouched since the first
elements of fire, air, water and earth formed this continent.
They include the communities left by ancient indigenous people
at the Badlands, Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon National
Parks; the Europeans’ arrival at Jamestown and the landing
of the first Africans traded into enslavement at Fort Monroe
National Monument.
From the place where the first shots of the Revolutionary War
were fired in Boston National Historical Park to the surrender
of Cornwallis’ British army at Yorktown Battlefield; from the
drafting and issuing of the Constitution at Independence Hall;
from the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumpter to the
rebel army’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse; from the
Women’s Suffrage Movement at Belmont-Paul to the Civil
Rights Movement’s Selma to Montgomery Trail; from the Trail
of Tears that indigenous people were forced to travel; Japanese
Internment camps at Manzanar to the rights of LGBTQ people
at Stonewall Inn, the National Park System contains so many
more of the places where history was made.
I firmly believe that the fact that many people do not know
these places exist, or that they can visit them and learn the
story where it happened and how all of us have ancestors that
contributed greatly to the development of our country, is the
real reason we can be so easily manipulated and divided.
Let’s use the president’s attempted insult to our benefit. Let’s
all go out and experience our history, and take our children and
grandchildren so it is cemented in their experience and carried
forward. We can make it EXACTLY the opposite effect of what
he intended.
I’m so happy to see groups such as Black Hikers Unite
already organizing on Facebook. Check out NPS.gov and find a
park near you to GO!
(Audrey Peterman is an author and advocate for National
Parks and Diversity since 1995. Audrey@audreypeterman.com)
History will repeat itself in Venezuela.
Unless Congress breaks the cycle
By Jared O. Bell
For those of us who have not forgotten
the regime changes, interventions, and
“limited engagements” that never stay
limited, it is obvious that the United
States is drifting toward a dangerous
precipice in Venezuela. The November
24th decision to designate Cartel
de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization is not a routine sanctions
update. It is a major escalation.
The cartel, a criminal political
network embedded within the
Venezuelan state, has long blurred
the line between organized crime and
official security structures. But the FTO designation unlocks
sweeping counterterrorism powers, including expanded
prosecution, broader sanctions, and potential military or
paramilitary actions. As one defense official told Reuters, it
“brings a whole bunch of new options”.
Combined with recent U.S. maritime strikes, including
boat bombings that experts warn may constitute war
crimes, the trajectory is unmistakable. Washington is laying
the groundwork for deeper involvement without publicly
confronting the risks.
Interventions framed as regime change have consistently
haunted U.S. foreign policy. The 1983 invasion of Grenada
reshaped regional perceptions of American power. In
Nicaragua, U.S. support for the Contras justified through
counterterrorism and narcotrafficking narratives fractured
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
The Landscape For College
Athletes And Coaches Is High On
Money And Low On Allegiance.
By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Football season is winding down and in the coming weeks
DANGERS OF
AUTHENTIC
IGNORANCE(AI)
“In Hinduism the destroyer of ignorance and
evil is Lord Shiva. In A democracy, the destroyer
of ignorance, evil, and corruption is Congress,
unless its integrity and morality merely hang from
their necks like a dead albatross.”
John Johnson II 12/10/25
By John Johnson II
Authentic ignorance” is not mere lack of
knowledge — it is the arrogant refusal to
learn, combined with the reckless confidence
to lead a nation while knowing nothing of
consequence. When this condition infects an
ordinary mind, it produces confusion. When
it infects a President, it produces catastrophe.
And yet, a chilling parallel emerges:
Artificial Intelligence, if not regulated, will
become even more dangerous than authentic ignorance — because
it can replicate misinformation on a scale, without conscience,
limits, or accountability.
The current President has repeatedly displayed this perilous
(AI). He insisted NATO allies “owe dues,” a claim revealing his
failure to grasp the most basic mechanics of collective defense.
He praised adversaries actively working to undermine American
interests. He referred to Frederick Douglass as though the
abolitionists were alive today, exposing a depth of historical
illiteracy unbecoming of any leader.
Domestically, his confusion is equally alarming. He could
not articulate even the outline of a health-care policy. He dismissed
intelligence assessments essential to national security.
He claimed the Civil War “could have been negotiated,” trivializing
the nation’s bloodiest historical reckoning. These are
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
Surprised by the Headlines
About White Men and College?
Time for a Reality Check
By Ben Jealous
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The headlines
this month about White men, college
admissions, and the fallout from ending
affirmative action startled a lot of people.
Stories of declining enrollment and
shrinking opportunity for young White men
were treated as if they had materialized
out of nowhere.
Many found it surprising. I didn’t.
It reminded me of a conversation I had a
little over a decade ago on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta
to Memphis—one of those brief moments in transit that stays
with you because it tells the truth long before the data catches
up.
A White man in a bright red shirt with a Confederate flag
over his heart sat down next to me. He stuck out his hand and
said, “Hi, I’m Bill.” As he introduced himself, I looked more
closely at his shirt and realized that under the flag it said, “Ole
Miss Football.” It was a booster shirt. We chatted. He asked
what I did. I told him I led the NAACP. He blinked, then leaned
in with a sincerity I recognized.
“Ben,” he asked, “what’s the purpose of affirmative action?”
I told him the truth: its purpose is to help dismantle nepotism
as the operating system of this country.
He slapped his knee. “Sign me up for that. But tell me this—
what good does that do for the boys in my family?”
Then he told me what he meant. The men in his family had
been, as he put it, “in and out of prison since we came here on
the wrong side of the Georgia penal colony.” He was the lone
exception—a gifted high school football player who earned a
scholarship to Ole Miss.
A coach introduced him to business leaders in Memphis. That
was his way out. The booster shirt wasn’t a provocation. It was
a keepsake from the only open door his family ever had.
Bill’s story is not the one America tells about White men.
But it is the story millions are living. And it mirrors something
larger happening across this country.
For years now, researchers have documented serious
headwinds facing working-class American men: wages that
stagnate or fall, especially for men without college degrees;
fewer men in college even as women’s enrollment rises; more
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
bowl games and college football playoffs
will begin. In some respects, football is
a year-round sport. The playing stops
but the recruiting of prospective college
student-athletes never does.
Let’s be reminded that college signing
day will be Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
Now, there is the early signing period
which happens this month where high
school recruits can sign a National Letter
of Intent.
Student-athletes, along with their
parents and family, will sit at tables with pen in hand. The
custom is to have three or four caps of the schools recruiting
them and they will choose the winning school’s cap. What role
do NIL agreements play?
Another factor that is in play is the transfer portal. Thousands
of college student-athletes have benefitted from it over the
years. They are looking for more playing time and usually more
money. Back in the day, student-athletes at the Division I level
had to sit out a year before joining their new team.
According to ESPN, over 3,400 FBS scholarship players in
2024-2025 entered the transfer portal. This number was much
lower prior to Name, Image and Likeness agreements. It says
the days of the pure athletic scholarship are over. I received an
athletic scholarship to attend college and was thankful to get
it.
I have raised a debatable question before and that was how
Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
The Caribbean
strikes and the
moral collapse of
American power
By George Cassidy Payne
T w o
blasts
split the
water. A
burning
h u l l
drifted.
Survivors
clawed
at debris,
then vanished
under
a second strike.
That was the opening
image delivered by the
Pentagon in early September:
a tightly edited video of
a U.S. military aircraft
obliterating an alleged
drug-smuggling boat in the
Caribbean. It was released
with cinematic timing,
framed as a bold success in
the Trump administration’s
newly intensified campaign
against “narco-terrorists.”
But the more Americans
have learned about what
followed, the killing of two
dazed, shipwrecked survivors
in a second strike, the more
the narrative has begun to
disintegrate.
For many, the scene forces
a reckoning: what happens
when “national security”
becomes a blank check for
lethal power?
Maybe it’s miscalculation,
maybe it’s panic, but the
fearmongering is falling flat.
Most Americans do not view
drugs as a national security
threat, let alone see suspected
smugglers—if that’s even
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com
The Gantt Report
The Right Fight
By Lucius Gantt
O u r
people love
to talk
about their
rights.
They say,
“I’m an
American
and I have
the rights
of an American.
Most of us think we, like
white Americans, have
human rights, equal rights,
voting rights, gay rights,
worker rights, legal rights,
and other rights.
In my opinion, the rights
Black people have today are
equal, in many ways, to the
rights our ancestors enjoyed
during slavery days: little
rights, fewer rights or zero
rights!
Let me explain. I tell people
all the time, “You can’t do
what white people do!” Blacks
can’t talk to whites in the ways
that whites talk to Blacks.
You can’t hang whites like
people of color are hanged.
We can’t file for bankruptcy
one day and three days later
walk into a local bank and
borrow a million dollars on a
signature loan, and you can’t
tie someone to a truck and
drag them down a dusty road
near the trailer park.
What we can do is try to
treat each other like other
people treat us. Black people
are quick to tell another Black
person, “I don’t like what you
said to me” or “Don’t pray
or say grace in my presence,
your prayers and grace are an
insult to me!”
Tell me, if you have freedom
of speech and freedom of
religion, who has the right to
tell you what to say or what
you can write?
When I’m told I should do
whatever I’m told to do by
someone who has more money
than I do, I ignore them, but
in my mind, I’m saying “F”
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com

PAGE 6 • DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025
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Continue reading online at: thewestsidegazette.com
FRANCINE
Your Tailor
Alterations For
Deeply Rooted
Private school vouchers in
Florida redirecting funding
away from public schools
A classroom is pictured at Littlewood Elementary School
in Gainesville on Monday, Nov. 11.
Kade Sowers/WUFT News
By Kaitlyn McCormack
(Source Fresh Take Florida )
Florida’s expansion of vouchers for families who want to
enroll their children in private schools is leading to tighter
budgets at public schools across the state.
In 2023, the Republican-led Florida Legislature passed a
bill that eliminated the income requirement for families to
receive the vouchers, called family empowerment scholarships
and Florida tax credit scholarships.
These vouchers, intended to help families who can’t afford
private education, allow for public state aid to be redirected to
families to cover the costs of the private school.
State funding diverted to private school vouchers increased
from 12% for the 2021 school year to 24% for the 2025 school
year, according to data from the Florida Policy Institute, an
Orlando-based nonprofit whose mission is to support equitable
access to health care, education, housing and jobs.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-led Legislature praised
vouchers as a way for more students to be able to attend private
schools.
“Florida is No. 1 when it comes to education freedom and
education choice, and today’s bill signing represents the largest
expansion of education choice in the history of these United
States,” DeSantis said in March 2023 when he signed the new
law. “When you combine private scholarships, charter schools,
and district choice programs, Florida already has 1.3 million
students attending a school of their choosing.”
Then-Senate President Kath- leen Passidomo, R-Naples,
was a strong supporter of vouchers. When the Legislature
passed the voucher bill, she said that public schools “will have
a mean- ingful chance to compete right alongside other school
choice options.”
Impact on public schools
Data from the Florida Policy Institute shows that the
growing number of students using these vouchers since 2023
were not previously in public school; many students were
already attending a private school and paying for it out of
pocket.
About 69% of students new to using the voucher were
already enrolled in private schools, according to Step Up for
Students, the nonprofit in charge of the scholarships.
These vouchers — among other reasons for declining
enrollment — have led to declining funding among the largest
school districts. Teachers say they are feeling the effects.
“Our public schools are struggling to make ends meet,” said
Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association.
“That means fewer programs for kids, larger class size for our
students. It also is impacting teacher pay.”
Florida ranks 50th in the nation in average teacher pay, at
$54,875, according to the National Education Association, one
of the largest teacher unions. The Legislature in recent years
has raised the minimum salaries for new teachers in Florida,
which now ranks 17th in the U.S., at $48,639.
“Unlike in the private sector, as much as people who say
this is about choice and this is about competition, it’s about
neither: It’s about money,” Spar said.
Orange County is the fifth-most populated county in
Florida. For the current school year, 24% of Orange County’s
Men & Women & Kids
Cell: (754) 274-8537
A: 784 NW 91st Terrace
www.thewestsidegazette.com
How Dr. Chavis defined cont’d from FP
The plan did not go over well with local Black residents, to
say the very least.
There was a groundswell of organizing against the landfill,
and in 1982, a host of civil rights leaders came to Warren
County to bolster their efforts. One of them was Dr. Ben
Chavis, a member of the Wilmington 10 who in 1971 had been
wrongfully accused and convicted of fire bombing a whiteowned
grocery store. Eight years later, Chavis was freed from
his 29-year sentence after the group’s prosecution was revealed
to be a racist sham.
In Warren County, Chavis was arrested again, for allegedly
driving too slowly on a county road. As he was put into a cell,
he said something that crystallized what was at the root of
the state’s PCB dumping plan, and the opposition that had
risen up against it. “This is racism,” Dr. Chavis said. “This is
environmental racism.”
Late last month, Dr. Chavis, who is currently the president
and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association,
was honored for his role in the environmental justice movement
— which, in many ways, coalesced around both the Warren
County protests and his words — at the Mississippi Statewide
Environmental Climate Justice Summit.
While the Warren County protests ultimately failed to
stop the landfill, they sparked a larger movement, inspiring
both organizing around and research on this new idea of
environmental racism.
“During the 1980s, you couldn’t make just an allegation
of discrimination; you had to prove it. You had to statistically
show that it existed,” Dr. Chavis said at the summit. “Nobody
ever asked, was there a correlation between the proximity of
toxic waste facilities, toxic emissions, and climate emissions to
public health?”
In the wake of the Warren County protests, researchers
did just that: “Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States”
was a groundbreaking report published in 1987. It found
that “communities with greater minority percentages of
the population are more likely to be the sites of commercial
hazardous waste facilities.”
The author of the report, Charles Lee, was directly inspired
by the protests in Warren County, which he had travelled
from his home in New Jersey to take part in. After reading a
study that showed 75% percent of landfills in the South were
alongside Black communities, “I said, ‘We need to replicate this
on a national scale,’” Lee told the Washington Post in 2020.
The report was published by the United Church of Christ for
Racial Justice, for which Dr. Chavis was the executive director
at the time.
Environmental racism eventually gave way to environmental
justice, and the movement has changed over the years to now
account for climate justice, too. And the connection is not lost
on Dr. Chavis, who has the international climate conference on
his mind at the Mississippi event.
“To COP30: don’t cop out, cop in,” he said. “Cop in to lay
the groundwork and the reaffirmation of a global struggle to
prevent climate crisis, climate injustice, and to respond to the
environmental injustices that are growing all over the world.”
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CHURCH DIRECTORY
Deeply Rooted
Have Your Church Announcements Placed
In Our Church Directory
DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025 • PAGE 7
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
Rev. Danny L. McKenzie, Sr., Senior Pastor
2251 N.W. 22nd St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
P.O. Box 122256, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Church: (954) 733-3285 - Office: (954) 733-3606
Email: mountnebobaptist@bellsouth.net
Website: www.mountnebaptist.org
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
Sunday School ..........................8:30 A.M.
Sunday Worship ....................10:00 A.M.
Tuesday Night Bible Study..............7:00 P.M.
"A Great Place To Worship"
Celebrating 100 Years of Blessing!! 1925-2025
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.
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"
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
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”
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!
Bethel A.M.E. Church
Dr. Micah C. T. Sims, Senior Pastor & Servant Leader
RD
405 NW ESTHER ROLLE (3 ) AVENUE
POMPANO BEACH, FL 33060
(954) 943.6220
email: bethelamepompano@gmail.com
Church Office Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 10am to 4pm
SUNDAY WORSHIP......10AM
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY........7PM
Zoom ID: 7066533918
bethelpompano.org
Pastor David E. Deal, Jr.
Every Christian's Church
SUNDAY @11:00 am
Phone (313) 209-8800 Conference ID 1948-1949
Bible Trivia
‘Test Your Bible Knowledge'
Webster defines “name” as “that by which a person or thing
is known. The study of the names of God will help us to reveal
some of God’s attributes. Can you tell what the names
reveal?
1) EL
2) EL Elyon
3) EL Olam
4) Jehovah Jireh
5) Jehovah Rapha
6) Jehovah Nissi
7) Jehovah Tsidkenu
8) Jehovah Shalom
**Biblical note** The Hebrews thought of names as being
revelatory, as disclosing some attributes or characteristic of
the person named. For instance, the name “Adam means “of
the earth”; his name revealed his origin.
Answers – 1) God, God, mighty one, strength; 2) The Most
High; 3) The Everlasting God; 4) The Lord will provide; 5)
The Lord Is Your Healer; 6) The Lord Is My Banner; 7) The
Lord Our Righteousness; 8) The Lord Is Peace
New Hope Baptist Church celebrates
the groundbreaking of New Hope 1
Submitted by Llydia Gordon-Hughes
Historic New Hope Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale
celebrates the groundbreaking of New Hope 1. It is a lowincome
housing six-story residential development consisting of
thirty (30) two-bedroom, two-bathroom workforce housing units
built over a structured parking garage with 32 parking spaces
located on floors one through three. The residential units will
be situated on the upper levels, offering thoughtfully designed
living spaces that average approximately 900 square feet.
New Hope Baptist church is inviting the public to join its
congregation for a special Ground Breaking celebration! The
milestone event will take place on December 11, 2025, 4PM
Location at 1321 NW 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 33311.
The celebration will feature greeting from the Mayor Dean
J. Trantalis, Commissioner Pam
Beasley-Pittman, County Commissioner Robert Mckenzie and
many more.
“For 100 years, our church has served as a beacon of hope
and a gathering place for families in this community, and now
we can offer affordable homes to individuals in the community
what A Blessing!” said Pastor Ricky Scott.
Reporters and camera crews are welcome to cover the
event. An ideal time for visual coverage would be during the
groundbreaking featuring the Fort Lauderdale Mayor.
Refreshments provided by Smity’s wings will be served
immediately after groundbreaking.

PAGE 8 • DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025
Liberty City mural project seeks $80,000
to honor Dawkins at Hadley Park
Residents launch fundraising push for a mosaic
celebrating two influential community leaders
Deeply Rooted
Obituaries
Death and Funeral Notices
A Good Sheperd's Funeral
Home & Cremation
Services Central
www.thewestsidegazette.com
VIEW OBITUARIES ONLINE
at www.thewestsidegazette.com
Announcements:
*In Memoriam *Death Notices *Happy Birthdays
*Card of Thanks *Remembrances
Nancy Dawkins, 102, sitting in her house in Liberty City, recounting the memories
that helped shape a neighborhood. (Amelia Orjuela Da Silva for The Miami Times)
By Amelia Orjuela Da Silva
(Source The Miami Times)
Lucinda Nelson – 69 -
Funeral services was held
December 3rd at James C.
Boyd’s Memorial Chapel
with Chief Apostle Dr. Jimmie
L. Butler officiating.
Ulysses Jenkins, Jr. - Funeral
service was held December
6 at McWhite’s Funeral
Home Chapel.
Children at Charles Hadley Park often use the Olympic-size pool, unaware that the names
etched onto it — Miller J. and Nancy S. Dawkins — belong to two people who significantly
shaped Liberty City.
Now, a group of residents is working to make sure that story isn’t missed.
“The Dawkins exemplify servant leadership. Their advocacy focused on the needs of the
community, and the empowerment and encouragement of others to grow and prosper,” said Mary
Washington, chair of a committee formed to create a mural in the duo’s honor. The committee is
hoping to raise $80,000 by New Year’s Day to support the project.
“I want our community to feel a sense of achievement knowing that we came together to
support a project to gift an amazing work of art to the City of Miami that represents the legacy
of two African American leaders of our community,” she said.
The artwork, designed by renowned artist and curator Marvin Weeks, will be installed on a
city-owned building at the park, on the wall near the pool bearing the Dawkins’ names.
“It is an honor to be honest, to be recognized, and I feel as though someone else had to do it.
Not just with me, but with others,” Nancy told The Miami Times. “They need to tell the story
coming from us and not somebody else.”
The vision
Washington says the idea emerged during an “Arts and Entertainment Tour of Miami’s
African American Footprint” in July 2024. Weeks and members of the City of Miami Arts &
Entertainment Council led a tour featuring murals honoring local icons. The tour began and
ended at the Dawkins pool.
“At the end of the tour, it dawned upon me that two of the people who have sacrificed and
contributed so much to our community have not been honored with a mural,” Washington said.
“At that moment, I decided to form a committee of community members to devote our time and
efforts to raise funds to honor Mr. and Mrs. Dawkins with a mural.”
When Washington approached Weeks, he immediately agreed, proposing a durable, vibrant
tile mosaic. Weeks, known for using unconventional materials, wanted the mural to honor the
Dawkins’ lives and spotlight Liberty City’s richness and
diversity.
“I think it illustrates the different kinds of materials
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com
Haitian authorities adopt electoral law in
major step toward restoring democracy
Council-or-President Frinel Joseph speaks during a
press briefing of Haiti’s Transitional Council in Portau-
Prince, on May 31, 2024. CLARENS SIFFROY/AFP/GETTY
IMAGES/TNS
By Jacqueline Charles /
Miami Herald/TNS
(Source: Florida Courier)
Haiti’s transitional government
on Monday adopted a
long-awaited electoral law,
setting in motion the process
for restoring democratic
rule after years of political
paralysis and escalating
violence.
The announcement was
made by Frinel Joseph, one
of the two observers on the
scandal-plagued Transitional
Presidential Council. In a post
on X, Joseph said the adoption
of the law by the panel and
Council of Ministers “marks
a decisive turning point in the
transition.”
Monday’s adoption came
amid intensified pressure by
the United States amid weeks
of political maneuvering by
members of the presidential
council, whose tenure is
supposed to end on Feb. 7.
2026. Some members of the
council had been attempting
to use the law and its proposed
date for elections as leverage
to extend their tenure in office
beyond February, and to oust
Prime Minister Alix Didier
Fils-Aimé.
On Monday, three of
the council’s seven voting
members were absent from
the meeting in what some
believe was a tactic to thwart
adoption of the law, which
now has to be published in the
country’s official gazette to be
legal.
Despite their absence, the
law was adopted anyway.
Nearly 10 years since
presidential election
Haiti last had presidential
elections in 2016 and has been
without an elected head of
state, a parliament or elected
local officials.
Already in crisis before
the July 2021 assassination
of Haitian president Jovenel
Moïse, the killing deepened
the country’s collapse while
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com
Richard Davis - Viewing
will be held December 13th
at Chapel.
Carla Lawson - Viewing
will be held December 10th
at AGS Multipurpose Center.
Brenda Samuels - Funeral
service will be held December
13th at Church of the
Living God.
Connelle Carson-Goodman
- 81 - Funeral service
was held December 6 at
Hopewell Missionary Baptist
Church with Chaplain
Kimberely R. Willis officiating.
Let the heavens
rejoice, let the earth
be glad
Psalm 96:11
Lloyd George Palmer – 94
- Funeral service was held
December 5th at James C.
Boyd’s Memorial Chapel
with Pastor Kevin McCoy officiating.
Barbara Jean Parrish –
79 - Funeral services was
held December 6 at James
C. Boyd’s Memorial Chapel
with The Family officiating.
McWhite’s Funeral
Home
Adassa Mitchell - Funeral
service was held December
7th at Lighthouse SDA
Church.
Clara Oates - Funeral service
was held December 4th
at New Mount Olive Baptist
Church.
Talbert Turner II - Funeral
service was held December
6 at McWhite’s Funeral
Home Chapel.

www.thewestsidegazette.com
Deeply Rooted
DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025 • PAGE 9
Nunnie on the Sideline
By Nunnnie Robinson, WSG
Sports Editor
urday and
throughout
the
year.
The FBS
- Football
Bowl Subdivision
- selected
the 12
qualifiers
b a s e d
on Saturday’s results. Most
noteworthy was who was
left out of the Playoffs: Notre
Dame and Vanderbilt, both
of whom ended the season
with 10-2 records. The reaction
of both institutions was
equally stark. Notre Dame’s
AD stated that the ACC had
done permanent damage
to their relationship, mystified
by the actions of the conference,
which he perceived
as attacking their biggest
business partner in football
and a member of their conference
in 24 of the other
sports, However, the football
team has a separate independent
contract with NBC
and doesn’t share revenue
with the other schools. They
will also forego participating
in a bowl game. Vanderbilt
chose a different path, stating
that in season losses to
Texas and Alabama stymied
their ability to control their
destiny and looks forward
to playing in a bowl game.
From a historical perspective,
the overt contrasting
reaction to not being selected
is completely understandable.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza
will - you read it here first
- will win the 2025 Heisman
Trophy!
Of Note: had Virginia defeated
Duke, the Cavaliers
would have received an
automatic berth as ACC
champions.
However, Duke’s victory
precluded either from participating
in the Playoffs. Not
Well, first permit me to express
my sincere remorse
and failure as a prognosticator
, particularly the SWAC
shocker between Jackson
State and Prairie View in
Jackson, Ms. on Saturday as
the gallant, underdog Panthers
upset the Tigers 23-21,
securing their spot in the Celebration
Bowl against the
well rested South Carolina
State Bulldogs. Of Note: the
head coaches, South Carolina
State’s Chennis Berry
and Prairie View’s Tremaine
Jackson, are members of
the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity,
Inc. The Celebration Bowl will
be contested on Saturday,
December 20, at Atlanta’s
Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00
pm and will be televised on
ESPN. My prediction: SCS 27,
PVU 21.
I don’t believe, however,
that I was the Lone Ranger
as monumental upsets ruled
the college football landscape
beginning with Indiana’s
pulsating victory over
the prohibitive favorite and
Number 1 ranked Ohio State
Buckeyes 13-10, Duke’s scintillating
overtime defeat of
Virginia to capture the ACC
Championship in Charlotte
and Illinois State’s come
from behind victory over favored
North Dakota State to
win the FCS Championship .
Albany State’s magical,
historic 12 win season ended
after losing at home to
Newberry 31-24. With starting
quarterback Isaiah Knowles
sidelined with an injury, the
Rams still took an early 14-3
lead but lost the momentum
on a blocked field goal that
was returned for 6. Coach
Quinn Gray thanked his
players for a gallant effort
and the team cohesion and
camaraderie displayed Satso
with Miami, also an ACC member. I recommend that a
critical analysis be enacted to examine automatic bids for
conferences (James Madison & Tulane - seriously) and consider
strongly increasing the field to 16 if the goal is purely to
select the best teams regardless of conference. The cream
usually rises to the top.
Shedeur Sanders has been named the Browns’ starting
quarterback for the remainder of the season. Good for him!
However, the Browns need wholesale changes to its football
operations.
HBCU football team
reportedly hiring program
legend as new head coach
By Chris Stevens
(Source: HBCU Sports)
One HBCU football coach
opening is reported to be
filled, and a program legend is
who will fill that once vacant
spot.
According to a Football Scoop
report, Winston-Salem State
has hired former all-CIAA
quarterback Tory Woodbury
as the team’s new head coach.
Woodbury led the Rams to
back-to-back CIAA championships
in 1999 and 2000, also
earning all-conference honors
in the process.
Woodbury briefly played for
the New York Jets before
turning to coaching under his
mentor and college coach Kermit
Blount.
Woodbury served as running
backs coach at Delaware
State and offensive coordinator
at Johnson C. Smith under
Blount before becoming
73
13
Photo credit: New York Jets
Continue reading online at:
thewestsidegazette.com
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PAGE 10 • DECEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 17, 2025
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