What’s a cancer survivor like me doing in Ebony? (The back story)

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Posted on May 6, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

CLICK LINK TO READ MY JOURNAL DEBUT:

Cancer is Crazy: Journals in the Raw (Part I)

http://www.ebony.com/wellness-empowerment/cancer-is-crazy-journals-in-the-raw-part-1-967#axzz2SScicOu0

First allow me to remind some and initially inform others that I’ve been writing/blogging about African Americans and Cancer for more than two years. I was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma in 2006 after decades of other health related issues that affected my reproductive system and resulted in a series of ongoing catastrophes. Additonally, I was told I’d never have a child. My daughter, Kelsey Nicole, turns 23 in June. I beat odds.

It wasn’t until last week, May 2, 2013, that my voice, my story, my advocacy was given a national platform. It was and remains a blessing in due season.

This didn’t come by luck or by brown-nosing anyone in high places. It was favor and by that I do mean spiritually, coupled with the good heart and professional favor of a savvy editorial director at Ebony Magazine (Digital). Actually, I impressed the CEO/President of TJM Communications, Inc. (Treva Marshall). Her firm was contracted to manage public relations for the Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine.

Treva referred me to the Ebony.com Editorial Director who offered the opportunity to write

“The Kinsey Collection.”

It is a fascinating historical representation of an African American family’s private art collection and debuted at at Walt Disney’s Epcot Center the same weekend as the Dreamers Academy took place. Time is everything.

Ebony (March 20, 2013) “A Whole New World: The Kinsey Collection”

http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/a-whole-new-world-the-kinsey-collection#axzz2SU2Smcty

My initial goal with Ebony was to get a paragraph or two in by the end of March to honor Kidney Cancer Awareness month which was also the same month as DDA. I’d previously shared with the editorial director that the REAL struggle with cancer begins AFTER survival. Physicians save you, but you have to put your life back together.

The result of my pitches and (perhaps) harrassment was an offer to do a cancer journal, twice a month with the following caveat: “I want it to be raw.” (I still can’t believe she presented such a generous offer.) Thinking I (really knew) what raw meant, the following online dialogue between she and I ensued:

Writer in the raw:

This raw you speak of, do you mean like this?: Revision #`1.

Editor’s Response (days later):

“Penny if you don’t want to do it, that’s OK. I want this to be cathartic for you.”

Writer in the raw (to self):

“She must want me to show off my metaphorical genius. You mean like this?” Revision #2

Editor’s Response (a week + days later):

“Penny, I want you to emote, not report. Think the antithesis of reportage.”

By now it’s mid April. I’ve sent a string of other non-cancer related pitches and driven her stark mad with emails that go to her phone. Professional (or scared stalker) that she was, she always responded and usually at length. (For freelancers, that’s unprecedented).

Stumped by the journal, I simply stopped writing. I recalibrated and went through my old journals to see what I actually wrote back in 2006, 2007, 2008, you get the chronology. I also scanned through my old M.F.A. binders and reviewed the words of previous mentors, one of whom wrote the following feedback on a submission prior to my graduating:

“You’re finally writing like you don’t care who’s reading.” Translation: RAW!

I then reviewed some notes from Rick Horowitz (Huffington Post and a MASTER on teaching writer’s to learn their “voice.”). One of the BEST workshops I’ve ever attended.

After that, I was courageous and good to go.

Revision #3 is the published link above and the first in a series of “to be determined” entries.

By now, it’s the end of April. I’m told that the journal will debut as part of an Ebony “Woman up!” series highlighting “Sister Stories.”

Mine will be included, but they need my photo image by Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (What?) That was the next day.

Well, my great artistic friend Greg McKinnon (of Alvin Ailey Scholarship Recipient, Cats and Starlight Express – EUROPE) had me semi-scheduled two weeks ago to do some shots that I procrastinated on. According to him, he was sick of seeing my blurry photos and camera phone shots on all of my public sites. Greg was also a model while in Europe and therefore knows a thing or ten and has more equipment and gadgets and lights and booms than I’ve evah seen.

Monday night, April 29th, till about 2:00 a.m., we played Top Model and had a good ‘ole time. I am a horrid model and we must have taken a gazillion shots. By night’s end, I was so dizzy and nauseated (forgot medicine), that he had to bring me home; I left my car at his house, which incidently has been my 2nd house since high school. I can go in his Mama’s pots AND I know where they keep the toilet paper.

I want people to understand that these things, these blessings, these opportunities, this favor, does NOT happen overnight. In the midst of all of the above, I continued to write major features for other affiliates, was hospitalized for five days…no, as a matter of fact I didn’t widely share that bit of information, and I also continued to hold it down as Professor Dickerson at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Trust me: I am nobody’s whiner.

A cohort of small minds have voiced that, “Penny is milking that cancer thing for all it’s worth.” Really? Whose been reading my cancer blogs? Have you any idea how many editors politely tell me to “stick it?” Throughout the years, many have but most editorial relationships I’ve developed are sustainable and treasured.

My health has indeed been an ongoing saga, but not for the reasons many may think. It’s a multi-layered struggle that has many dimensions. I think it’s called playing the hand you’re dealt and making lemonade when life serves you lemons. What’s milk got to do with anything?

Let me share this: A 9 cm tumor basically ruined my life. “BATTLE” as associated with cancer is not limited to the physical disease. Even if you think you know about my struggle, I assure you, I have never revealed HALF of what this has taken me through, but it will be exposed in these upcoming journal entries.

I have been a freelance writer since 2001. While it’s been intermittent, writing is my passion and on some level, I’ve always been a lover of language and gravitated towards prose. My first, FIRST, freelance article appeared in the Florida Times-Union. It featured three local dancers admitted to the Alvin Ailey School of Dance summer program.

That was A LONG time ago and 12 years later it’s still an act of media congress to get a story in the Florida Times-Union. For some odd reason, many also think I started writing when my first website launched in 2010. NOT! The website was simply a much needed portal to market both me and my work. My writing precedes it.

Click the link below to read: LOCAL TEENS TO ATTEND AILEY

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/060901/ner_6381011.shtml

I have kept at it, kept at it, kept at it, studied, stayed up late, studied with MASTER writers and poets, given up, slowed down, gotten back up, and yeah, NOW I’m published in Ebony, but it has been a 12 year hike uphill and this is not the end nor is it the pinnacle.

It is, however, definitive symbolism of a professional milestone for which I am proud, but I continue to foster and nurture dreams and goals. And when I dream, I dream big, bold, and in technicolor.

Every writer understands the gravity of this opportunity. A national platform in a digital format for ANY writer in the 21st century is a coup and I quote: “EBONY.com is the premiere online magazine destination for African-American cultural insight, news, and perspective.”

Don’t HATE because cancer serves as a formidable outlet for creative exchange. Love me because I am using my voice and gift(s) to prevent you from getting cancer.

Those who know me (well) can also attest that I am one of the most resourceful and undeterred human beings on planet earth. My confidence sometimes wanes, but I keep it moving. MOVIN’.

Now that I have your attention, please take time to read and share the links below. There are so many devastating cancers in the world, but the ones we pay the least attention to are the ones that unfortunately affect us the most.

Each of my journal entries will begin with the same excerpt from my Duke Medical Center Records. You’ll learn that Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC also played an integral role in my treatment. The following sentences bookend my personal journey.

Ms. Merdis Dickerson is a 43-year-old African American female who began experiencing abdominal pain in the spring of 2006 and was noted to have gallstones…

The Pathology showed a clear cell renal cell carcinoma, grade II out of IV, which was confined to the kidney and measured 0.9 cm in greatest dimension.” –

Excerpt from Duke Medical Records: Raleigh, North Carolina

Black Kidney Cancer Patients Die earlier than White Patients

http://www.ebony.com/black-listed/wellness-empowerment/black-kidney-cancer-patients-die-earlier-than-white-patients-981#axzz2SScicOu0

Black Cancer Death Disparities – Why the difference?

http://www.ebony.com/black-listed/wellness-empowerment/black-cancer-death-disparities-why-the-difference-981#axzz2SScicOu0

Penny Dickerson 2013

“People Shouldn’t Judge” – Three of Florida’s Vocal Voices on Gay Rights Speak

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

This article is a follow-up to my April 5, 2013 story on Proposition 8 and Same-sex Marriage.

It appeared in the Florida Courier and was titled: “SIN OR CIVIL RIGHT.”

I found it a tremendous CHALLENGE to find ANYONE in the state of Florida to go “on record” with both an admission of their same-sex lifestyle and/or willingness to simply speak on the issues affecting human rights.

Thank you to Jeff Cohen, former CEO & President of Attitude Records and Dolphin Music Distributors who formerly managed the career of Willetta “Mamado” Smith. He was integral in getting me in touch with her.

Special thanks to Kezia Hendrix Rolle who offered Bruce “Tobi” Ellison of Orlando as an apt subject. His input proved to be insightful and candid.

And to “Keisha,” a south Florida reporter with the Florida Courier who assisted by offering Tampa’s Jeronica Byrd. She, too, was absolutely well-versed on Prop 8 and DOMA and had zero misgivings regarding her contributions: past or present life.

‘PEOPLE SHOULDN’T JUDGE’

April 25, 2013 Filed under METRO

Three of Florida’s vocal voices on gay rights discuss their journey and their thoughts on same-sex marriage

BY PENNY DICKERSON
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

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A new era of gay rights advocacy has swept the nation.

The Jacksonville chapter of Parents for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) leased billboards in 2012 broadcasting their support: “We love our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children.” The strategic signage alerted traffic along major thoroughfares.

In November 2012, Jacksonville City Council members defeated a human rights ordinance that sought to ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals in regards to employment and looking for housing while an amended version would have added six words: “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression” to the list of classes already protected by the city’s anti-discrimination statute.”

It also was defeated by a 17-2 margin. Liberals and conservatives remain divided.

The responsibility to define gay rights’ parameters belongs to states.

Florida advocates are among the most voluminous in the nation and speak with candor regarding human rights and the religious order.

WHAT IS PROPOSITION 8?

California’s controversial ballot initiative known as Proposition 8 defines marriage only as between a man and a woman.

It is widely understood as a ban on gay marriages.

The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, prevents legally wed same-sex couples from receiving certain benefits by defining marriage as between a man and woman. (Florida has its own version of DOMA that was overwhelmingly passed by the Florida Legislature in 1997.)

In 2008, inspired by California’s Proposition 8, strong support from Florida’s African-American voters led to passage of an amendment to the state constitution, which now bans gay marriage in Florida. Then-Gov. Charlie Crist supported the amendment, as did then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Five years and a presidential re-election later, the legalization of gay marriage is front-and-center at the nation’s highest court.

On March 27, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on a part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that prevents legally wed same-sex couples from receiving certain benefits by defining marriage as between a man and woman.

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Willetta Smith has been openly gay since age 14. Her father nicknamed her “Mamado” at the age of two because she always mocked her mama.

Decades later, that same loving patriarch brandished a shotgun inside “Club 209,” one of Jacksonville’s historic gay establishments. He came to reclaim his runaway daughter.

“I knew in elementary school I was different,” Smith explained. “I dated guys because it was the right thing to do, but I’ve never slept with one.

There was never love at all.”

When she became a runaway and truant, Smith used a fake ID to frequent gay clubs like the “French Quarters” and “Studs and Drag Queens” became her family.

“A neighborhood drug dealer led my father where I was hanging out,” explained Smith. “He bust in with that shotgun and just embarrassed me,” she joked.

Musician, activist
A family meeting followed that critical night; it ended with parental tears.

Smith decisively proclaimed her gay lifestyle and never looked back.

Attending night class and summer school, she earned a diploma from William M. Raines Senior High School and as reciprocity to Daddy, she became a musician.

The self-taught keyboard player completed advanced music theory and engineering courses at Florida State College at Jacksonville and Edward Waters College followed by an impressive recording artist career.

The next three decades parallel a reality television show. Smith was in a seven-year relationship with a woman who birthed twins prior to a prison sentence. Smith became a surrogate mother and managed a strip club for nine years prior to her own conviction, which also landed her in prison. Behind bars she recorded a music CD featuring fellow inmates.

‘God made us’
Smith is now 54 years old and engaged to be married to 26-year-old rap artist/model Alea Janae Davis.

Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage prohibits a legal union, but they are considering other states and remain unapologetic regarding choice. “God is a loving, caring God to me. We love, we don’t hate,” expressed Smith.

“People shouldn’t judge. God made us.”

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Bruce Ellison is a strikingly handsome 37-year-old spiritual advisor and author of “I Am the Manifester.” The Orlando native is single and the youngest of six siblings; his parents are divorced. By all accounts, he is apt prey for doting women. But Ellison is gay and believes he was born that way.

“I knew at five years old I was attracted to men,” said Ellison, who prefers to be called Tobi. “My behavior was unacceptable and my oldest cousin said I was the biggest sissy as a child because I rearranged furniture every week. In school everyone called me fag and a punk.”

Ellison endured painful sentiments that he was morally wrong his entire life but insists his perceptions and views do not represent the majority.

A different view
“Proposition 8 is a distraction,” declared Ellison. “I can’t believe in this day and age we are still talking about homosexuality…when the gay community stops making it a big deal, so will the world.”

Ellison has never formally dated a woman, but has slept with two. Further, he offered that he has kissed one person in the last 10 years and has never lived with another man.

“If I listened to religion, I am going to hell. I experience Christ-consciousness. God doesn’t care about your sexuality,” preached Ellison.

“People are not rising to a Christ-conscious level, they want to see (homosexuality) in their eyes. Man has created God in His image. I think that is the issue.”

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Jeronica Byrd is a 34-year-old lesbian. She has been openly gay since age 17, but recognized gender preference early.

“I knew when I was five, but didn’t know what it was,” said Byrd. “I only wanted to play with girls but was raised in the church and the South. They considered it wrong, so I thought something was wrong with me.”

Byrd became sexually promiscuous with men. She succumbed to social and religious pressure to marry, but extra marital affairs with women led to a divorce after five years from a husband she claims, “thought she was bisexual.’’

She shared, “We are taught the American Dream is 2.5 kids, a white picket fence, dog, and a husband – not a loving mate.’’

Founded lesbian sorority
Born to a 14-year-old mother in Arkansas, Byrd was raised and educated in Alabama by her great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother; her mother left to join the military.

“We grow up hearing that homosexuality is an abomination, so I’m not into organized religion,” stated Byrd. “It’s a tool of oppression not uplift and enlightenment.”

Byrd abides by a moral code to do right and use common sense – don’t lie, steal, cheat – but it’s not based on being a “Bible-thumping Christian.”

At Stillman College in Alabama, Byrd was blacklisted on campus when she “came out.” She then founded Kappa Xi Omega Sorority, Inc., a community service organization and sisterhood for lesbian women created to articulate and encourage community consciousness.

A national advocate, Byrd believes there are three major lesbian influences: biological (born gay); sociological (assimilate to society and culture) and psychological (individuals damaged by men who feel women are their only option).

Byrd’s influence is biological. She and her partner of nine years look forward to marriage when DOMA is amended to afford everyone equal benefits.

Eight-year-old Martin Richard: The first dead brother of the Boston Bombing Blast.

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

Just like the rest of the world, last week’s bomb that blasted Boston during the world’s most famous marathon shook me at my core. Again? Terrorism? A bomb? For the most part I avoided television beyond the initial day and opted to read numerous reports from national news affiliates.

Afterall, reading is fundamental.

On the third day, I decided to write. I was tremendously moved and saddended by the death of eight-year-old Martin Richard. I am a mother, a grandmother, a human being with compassion. So many of the details I read made the circumstances worse. No one was reporting (widely) about his sister who is now an amputee or his mother who endured surgery on her brain.

Since last week, reports have emerged regarding the brothers, white cap and black cap, both of whom have been named prime suspects in the bombing, a cowardly act of domestic terrorism with proported foreign terrorism links.

I refuse to glorify the two Chech brothers and further refuse to type their names. They have become the foremost subjects of the bombing as suspects. Less we forget who the real victims are. Eight-year-old Martin Richard was also a brother. An older brother. A younger brother. A son and a human being who deserved to live.

The following are my thoughts from last week’s writing which somehow emerged as both a blog and a poem…guess that makes it a plog or a boem.

Eight-Year-Old Wins Boston Marathon

dedicated to Martin Richard

Two days ago, a bomb blasted Boston.

Two twin booms, 12 seconds apart startled the tension of trained marathon runners.

Pre-race worries were simply the strength of their Achilles.

Airborne limbs have left the innocent labeled amputees and

once again a young dreamer named Martin has lost his life.

Eight-years-old and already a symbol for peace;

a pint-sized recipient of a headstone he didn’t earn.

Pressure cookers were believed the suspected culprit.

Pressure cookers were believed to be smuggled in duffel bags ─ dark and heavy ─ like gathered skin sagging beneath a coward’s eyes.

According to the White House, President Barack Obama betrayed no emotion in offering his statement to the press:

“Any event with multiple explosive devices ─ as this appears to be ─ is clearly an act of terror.”

This can only mean one Commander-in-chief thing: It’s ON!

The city of Boston has been blasted.

The remnants have birthed blame and the young, late Martin Richard’s mother can’t sleep. Her baby boy is dead. She, too, was damaged by the bomb ─ surgeons’ saved her brain. Oddly, God protected her maternal psyche.

His sister lost her leg and a husband and father is simply left to mourn.

America joins him.

I, too, am a woman losing sleep over life. This bomb attempted to erase my memories. Boston was the city of popular frequent during my Lesley University graduate school days. Cambridge and Harvard Square were neck-tie nice and summer-stroll cool but,

Boston’s where you trekked to feel good noise.

Everybody thinks they know Boston for baked beans, clam chowder, and the Sock-it-to me Red Sox, but the bookstores (baby), the massive museums, the jazz and that Baaahhston dialect that slips through lips as though syllables were birthed to yawn.

There’s something kindred about a bomb at the footstool of folks you knew and still know. Lives were lost; bodies were injured and hurled down streets I casually walked. It feels like a domestic or foreign visitor roamed the same asphalt and spit in patriotic wind.

Boston belongs to everybody because we were 6^th grade history, massacre-forced and double s – double t drilled to spell Massachusetts. But I Phyllis Wheatley, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. know Boston.

I former flight attendant ─ Logan Airport remember Boston before the blast. Frankly, I’m feeling all “What the hell?” and 911 pissed all over again. A bomb has killed a beautiful young boy?

While blogging, I’m pumping Quincy Jones’ “Back on the Block” album from way back when.

Big Daddy Kane kicked it off with rhyme;

Birdland has blared;

Sarah Vaughn screamed a sassy scat;

And now Take 6 is acapella acting out.

I’m waiting for Maestro Jones to bless Boston with the reason I’ve always loved Track 12:

Tomorrow ─ (A Better you, a Better me)” featuring Tevin Campbell

“I hope tomorrow will bring, a better you, a better me.

I know that we’ll show this world we got more we could be

So you should never give up on your hopes and your dreams

You gotta get up, get out, get into it, get it on to be strong…”

Martin Richards will never see another tomorrow, feel his mother’s warm embrace, or spike chicken nuggets in ketchup during lunch with his third grade classmates. Martin’s race is over; he crossed the Boston Marathon finish line first.

We are a strong America. We get up, get out, get into it, and get it on.

We keep it movin’ and

We are not deterred by terrorism.

I hope tomorrow will bring a better you, a better me…

I hope tomorrow will bring a better world.

This was the dream of two Martins.

Penny Dickerson 2013

Sin – or Civil Right? (Proposition 8 & DOMA)

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

SIN – OR CIVIL RIGHT?

April 4, 2013 Filed under FRONT PAGE Posted by admin

Black Floridians are on both sides of the gay marriage controversy

BY PENNY DICKERSON
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

In the 50th anniversary year of the historic March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the United States Supreme Court was challenged to determine the constitutional boundaries of marriage and family.

A young protester stood in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on March 27 as the court heard arguments on a part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that prevents legally wed same-sex couples from receiving certain benefits by defining marriage as between a man and woman.(OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT)

Last week, two pivotal cases were heard by the high court. Now, an America divided over same-sex marriage, and hopeful same-sex couples with dreams of marriage, await what could be groundbreaking legal decisions.

Proposition 8 and DOMA
California’s controversial ballot initiative known as Proposition 8 defines marriage only as between a man and a woman. It is widely understood as a ban on gay marriages.

Five years and a presidential re-election later, the legalization of gay marriage is front-and-center at the nation’s highest court. Black Floridians are on both sides of the debate.

‘Church’ speaks
Dr. Kevin W. Church, Sr. holds a biblical position on same-sex marriage – as befits a preacher named “Church.”

He is a man of God who has served his country for almost 20 years as both a U.S. Army officer and chaplain. Church is also a certified hospital chaplain, assists homeless veterans through a not-for-profit organization, and serves as team chaplain for the Jacksonville Giants, the American Basketball Association’s minor league championship team.

Church, an author with a Ph.D., has been married to the same wife for almost 30 years and is the father of three grown children.

Church is a traditionalist. He is not a proponent of same-sex marriage.

Adam and Eve
“My view is that first and foremost, the Bible has no errors and does not condone same-sex marriage,” stated Church. “In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve as a male and female. Eve was created from Adam’s rib and the Bible is clear that same-sex (marriage) does not exist…God did not intend a man and a man, but He gives all of us a choice.”

The Liberty University-educated theologian withholds personal judgment.

“As Christians, we love the sinner and hate the sin,” he explains.

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In his career, Church says he has counseled more than 100 couples that were engaged to be married. He is endorsed by the North American Mission Board, which does not allow him to engage in counseling or conduct a marriage ceremony between same-sex couples. However, he gives spiritual counsel to all who seek it from him.

“Prior to any session, I always pray and let the Spirit lead,” explained Church. “I ask if there has ever been a time when either has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and offer an invitation to salvation,” he added.

End times
Church is aware that younger people are more tolerant these days.

“People are gonna do what they want to do, and Christianity will not reach everyone,” Church muses. He cites the hit single, “I’m Doing Me,” by Fantasia Barino of “American Idol” fame.

“Folks in society are ‘doing me’ and the economy is a factor,” offered Church, who supports his theory with Bible verses from II Timothy 3:1-7.
It states, “… in the last days, perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, and unholy…”

The other side
Jeronica Byrd is a 34-year-old divorced Black female who lives in Tampa. She is gay.

A scholar who earned a Master of Science degree in criminology, Byrd has been in a committed same-sex relationship for nine years and is the parent of a 17-year-old son. He is also gay.

Byrd is the founder and executive director of Professional Lesbian Women and seeks to marry her longtime companion. She insists that until same-sex marriage is nationwide and federally recognized, the laws don’t make any sense.

Limited rights
Byrd and her partner share property, vehicles, bank accounts – a life.

DOMA angers her because it prohibits them both from receiving over 1,100 federal benefits, the most important of which is the inheritance tax.

“If we were a federally recognized couple and something were to happen to me, my partner would not have to pay the tax,” Byrd explained.

The privileges heterosexual couples benefit from are often taken for granted by Proposition 8 and DOMA supporters. As an unrecognized legal spouse, Byrd’s partner cannot oblige Byrd’s wishes to be cremated because she can’t enforce a will or defy her surviving family’s decisions. Her partner also cannot make medical decisions, adopt her son or receive parental rights.

“She is the person I love and have built a life with, but it matters not because she is the same gender,” said Byrd. “My feelings for my partner are written on my soul. I need the legal marital protection, not the spiritual.”

‘Don’t need the world’
Conversely, Bruce “Tobi” Ellison does not need a marital or a spiritual ceremony to define his same-sex relationships.

The 37-year-old spiritual advisor, life coach, and author of “I Am the Manifester” promotes “power and well-being” as philosophical dynamics people can control. He believes too many in both the gay and Black community don’t approve of themselves. This is the greater problem.

“I do not need the world or government in my relationships to experience the best love scenario I can have,” argues Ellison. “The government does not control the law of attraction. I can have the life I want without an outside voice dictating what it should look or feel like. I support same-sex marriages because I want people to have the equal rights. I just don’t need it (marriage),” he added.

‘Stop having homosexuals’
Based in Orlando, Ellison has numerous friends who work for the Walt Disney Company, one of several corporations implementing same-sex policies. Disney allows employees to extend some benefits to same-sex partners without marriage.

According to Ellison, hypocrisy has ruined marriage as a religious covenant.

“Heterosexuals who are against same-sex marriage and preach what people should or shouldn’t do need a careful analysis. Their marriage(s) are nothing to hold up to the light, or their five and six divorces,” Ellison admonished.

“How can they talk about the sanctity of marriage? I want no part of it. Also, if they are so against homosexuals, tell them to stop having them.”
Ellison believes he was born gay; it wasn’t a choice.

Willing to pay the price

Willetta “Mamado” Smith agrees with Ellison. She has been openly gay since she was 14 years old, but recognized her orientation as early as age five. She is now 54.

She was an accomplished music industry veteran before doing a two-year stint at Gadsden Correctional Institute in Tallahassee. While there, she used her skills and experience to produce a music CD featuring fellow inmates.

Life didn’t stop for her after she got out of prison. A serial entrepreneur, she now does audio and video production in Jacksonville, including direct-to-video movies.

Mamado is in love and engaged to marry 26-year-old rap artist and model Alea Janae Dennis.

The Jacksonville couple has been partners for three years. They seek all the rights and protections married heterosexual couples enjoy. That’s impossible under current Florida law.

“We’re seeking legal representation to assist us in marrying in another state, perhaps Washington, D.C.,” said Smith. “It may cost up to $5,000, but we’re determined.”

Part VI – “The Life & Death of Jimmie Jackson.”

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

Was the decision to go ‘gunless’ in the ‘Gunshine State’ fatal?

March 28, 2013 Filed under METRO

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a series of stories framing the life of James Roland Jackson, III, known as “Jimmy” to his family.

BY PENNY DICKERSON
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

As reported in this series, 26-year-old Jimmy Jackson was shot on June 2, 2012, at the Silver Fox nightclub while working part time as road manager for rap artist Young Cash, a protégé of popular Florida-based rapper Flo Rida.

The former Florida A&M University business student died 10 days later at Shands Hospital, leaving his supportive family shocked and grieving. His five-year-old daughter Denia no longer has a daddy to tuck her in at night. He won’t cheer at her college graduation, or walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.

Four bullets
Jacksonville Detective Bobbie Bowers, the lead homicide investigator, is calling Jackson’s tragic shooting a random robbery.

Two Black males wearing dark clothing approached Jackson in a pitch-dark parking lot at close to 4 a.m.

He complied with their request for money, but assailants still pumped four bullets into his 6’1” athletic frame as he walked away.

Older brother Anthony Rozier said that Jackson refused to carry a concealed weapon, as is possible under Florida’s liberal ‘concealed carry’ law.

“I don’t need a gun, cause I ain’t gon’ shoot nobody,” Jackson told Rozier.

William “Bill” Burns holds a monthly raffle to win an AR-15 rifle. Proceeds benefit his nonprofit organization “Dream Hunts For Heroes.”
(PHOTOS COURTESY OF PENNY DICKERSON/FLORIDA COURIER)

Millions with guns
There’s no proof that Jackson would still be alive if he had been carrying a gun. But a record number of citizens do plan to shoot whenever necessary. One of every 17 Floridians – more than a million people just in Florida alone – has a license to carry a concealed firearm.

While homicide rates are down, Florida is home to the largest number of gun-carrying permits in the country, giving the peninsula an unsavory moniker: “the Gunshine State.”

Jacksonville has its own Gun Crime Unit, and for good reason. As reported by the United States Department of Justice based on 2011 statistics, the Middle District of Florida, the federal court district were Jacksonville is located, ranks third in the nation for the number of federal prosecutions of firearms-related cases.

In conjunction with Project Safe Neighborhood, a community-based initiative, the Gun Crime Unit meets once a week to discuss the prosecution of gun crimes and includes detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, special agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as prosecutors from the State Attorney’s Office.

Easy to get
Many Floridians evidently believe peril is imminent, and they are buying guns. And all you need is money to buy a gun in Florida.

According to a Feb. 27 cover story in Folio Weekly, “No permits, license or identification card is required to buy or possess firearms and ammunition here, unlike in some other states.” (You do need a license to conceal a gun and carry it.)

Ammunition can be purchased for cash at local gun shows. Firearm responsibility requires a permit application.

Fierce debate
The availability of guns is America’s most contentious new debate. From seasoned politicians to neighborhood barbershops hosting Saturday morning court, everyone is weighing in on access to firearms, who has a right to own, and the rampant gun violence sweeping the nation.

A movie theater massacre and last year’s Sandy Hook elementary killing spree has created a nation in fear and rendered public places unsafe.

First gun at 15
Gun shows are held almost every weekend in a Florida city and a large populous of enthusiasts support the culture. Luke Wyatt purchased close to $280 worth of ammunition at a recent Jacksonville gun show.

“I come here to buy ammo because I can’t get it from the store,” said Wyatt. “ The government is making it even harder.”

The Florida State Community College student works part time at Longhorn Steakhouse and uses his earnings to support his hobby.

“I own three guns, a 30.06 long-range rifle, a tactical AR-22, and have access to my parents’ 9mm pistol,” Wyatt boasted.

A revolver like these on sale at a Jacksonville gun show could be similar to the firearm Jimmy’s shooter used.

Guns and target shooting has always been a part of Wyatt’s family life. He was given his first gun at age 15 and is an avid hunter of game.

Racial disparity
The use of guns is racially disparate. According to a March 22 feature in the Washington Post, “Gun deaths are shaped by race in America. Whites are far more likely to shoot themselves, and African-Americans are far more likely to be shot by someone else.”

What’s consistent is that thousands of people are killed – or are killing themselves – with guns.

The Florida-based Trayvon Martin case has intensified the racial debate. Martin was shot and killed last February in Sanford by George Zimmerman, an off-duty neighborhood watchman. The shooter alleged Martin’s behavior was suspicious – he was walking slowly in the rain and wearing a hoodie.

The equally tragic killing of Jordan Davis followed the Martin killing. The 14-year-old was shot to death while sitting in a Dodge Durango with friends at a Gate gas station in Jacksonville.

Michael David Dunn, a White male, pulled up next to the teens and asked them to turn their loud music down. Following a verbal dispute, Dunn claimed he saw a shotgun in their car and sprayed seven shots into the parked SUV. Davis died on the scene; police reported the teens had no gun.

These murders have sparked a national outcry against gun violence; race is a subtext because White men killed both Martin and Dunn.

Jimmy Jackson’s death was different. The shooters were Black. As mass shootings prompt vigils and flags flown at half-mast, mainstream media attention to “Black-on-Black” crime is practically nonexistent.

‘Not a race problem’
David Frum, contributing editor at Newsweek offered the following in a CNN report titled, “U.S. gun problem is not a race problem.’’

“The typical murder has one victim, not many. The typical murder is committed with a handgun, not a rifle. And in the typical murder, both the perpetrator and the victim are young black men. Blacks are six times as likely as Whites to be the victim of a homicide. Blacks are seven times as likely to commit a homicide.”

‘In the wrong hands’
Isaiah Rumlin, president of the Jacksonville NAACP branch, says his organization is very concerned about gun violence.

“It’s a socioeconomic issue that affects our city, state, and nation,” said Rumlin. “We have got to produce better-educated people, produce more jobs, and develop better programs for repeat offenders who are released and return to our communities.”

He additionally calls on parents to do a better job and take responsibility for their children’s actions before tragedy strikes.

“Too many guns are in the wrong hands,” declared Rumlin.

The Rev. R.L. Gundy, pastor of Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, also weighed in on the subject. He is the state president of the Southern Christian Leadership conference.

Gundy stated that with “a present mean legislative body and more than 225 federally licensed gun dealers in a state, it creates an environment where people become predators on each other – both Black and White.’’

The community activist doesn’t offer it as an excuse but insists that the current gun culture has been created by society and cites the previous methodology of President Bill Clinton’s as a positive example.

The Clinton administration tracked every gun used in a crime and, statistically, as it was then, Florida tops the list.

“When all of your Black fathers are in jail and there are no jobs, the problem transcends mere socioeconomic and it’s deeper than parents serving as a solution,” Gundy added. “The highest population of Blacks in Florida is in Duval County and 72 percent of all babies born in a Black family are without a father. It becomes a mental health and psychological (issue) too.”

Crimes and justice
A public service announcement uses six quick words to spell out the consequences of committing a gun crime: “Use a gun and you’re done.” Pull a gun –10 years in prison. Fire a gun – 20 years. Shoot someone – 25 years to life in prison.

That’s the penalty facing the individual(s) responsible for Jackson’s murder.

The Kinsey Collection: African American Family Debuts Cultural Exhibit at Walt Disney World

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

A Whole New World: The Kinsey Collection

An art and history loving African American Family debuts their coveted collection at Walt Disney World

By Penny Dickerson

A Whole New World: The Kinsey Collection

“The Walls” from the Kinsey Collection

If the art of sharing were worth its weight in gold, the amassed cultural treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey would easily personify Ft. Knox. The philanthropist couple have gathered 400 ‘authentic and rare art, artifacts, books, documents and manuscripts that tell the often untold story of African American achievement and contributions.’ The culminating result is an impressive touring exhibit spanning more than 400 years of history aptly titled, “The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey.”

More than 3 million people in seven U.S. cities including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. have been exposed and culturally enriched. And now, a global audience can experience ‘the intersect of art and history’ at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Earlier this month, The Kinsey Collection opened to the public at the American Heritage Gallery of the American Adventure Pavilion at EPCOT Center where it will remain until 2016. The private unveiling took place during the 6^th Annual Disney Dreamers Academy weekend hosted by Steve Harvey with Essence magazine. The competitive program selects 100 students from across the country to indulge in four days of mentoring workshops facilitated by celebrities like gospel sensation Yolanda Adams, American Idol runner-up Kimberley Locke, Actor Doc Shaw from Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne,” CNN education contributor Dr. Steve Perry, and more.

Bernard Kinsey─patriarch of the namesake collection─also honored the 2013 cohort with a historical lecture, “The Myth of Absence” which aligns with the Kinsey’s ultimate goal: education.

A Disney partnership effectively broadens the collection’s outreach, but a unique agreement with the Florida Department of Education fills a void Kinsey believes is omitted by most African American textbooks. The Kinsey’s self-published coffee-table book bears the collection’s title and has been approved to teach K-12 history in Florida schools.

The publication works in concert with the collection as a visual and kinesthetic educational component. Readers embark upon a 198 page, picturesque journey in print that begins in 1632 and travels to the present. The art of Stephen Duncanson and Romare Bearden are complemented by 17^th century documents from historical abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., whose legacy encouraged everyone to ignite a dream.

“This exhibit presents truth, but is not an exercise in victimhood,” said Bernard Kinsey to a captive room at EPCOT World Showplace. “We have the courage to uplift and do justice to an integral part of American history that dispels the myth that our history is absent from the whole.”

The Kinsey Collection

The Kinsey Collection Opening at Disney World

Cross-referencing visual slides from the collection, Kinsey’s unwavering passion for history reverberated as he described the 1832 slavery ‘Bill of Sale’ that inspired the collection. From his confident podium stance to his matter-of-fact wisdom, he remained candid about everything from the 1619 Mayflower arrival to Buffalo Soldier pride. Images of black bodies lined like sardines beneath a slave ship’s belly were displayed along with the dismay of Dr. Selma Burke’s original mold being used to create Teddy Roosevelt’s likeness on the American dime. The African American sculptor was never given credit. Throughout, Kinsey remained unapologetic in his posture that the African American presence in history is not one of invisibility.

Among the engaged dreamers was 15-year-old Dwight James of Jacksonville, Florida who expressed genuine excitement: “I loved when he said Christopher Columbus didn’t discover America. The Indians found America. America has been re-owned,” said James, who dreams of becoming a writer.

Sharing his sentiments was spoken word artist Husain Abd’Allah from Jamaica, NY. The ninth grade homeschooler is a Schomburg Junior Scholar in African American studies who was intrigued by the gallery, “It was such a wonderful exhibit,” he said. “We got to see how it all came together. They had a lantern where you just turn the handle and it starts giving you an overview of the gallery.”

Most impressive for Abd’Allah was Mrs. Fisher’s Cookbook, the first known cookbook by a Black person. Husein, like many in attandance, had never heard this information prior to The Kinsey Collection.

It was Carmen Smith, Vice President of Creative Development of Walt Disney Imageering whose unwavering vision lead to the Kinsey-Disney partnership. She learned about the Collection from Bob Billingslea, former Vice President of Corporate Urban Affairs and Minority Outreach, and eagerly presented the idea to theme park executives. “We saw this as a unique opportunity,” she said. “More than 20 Disney executives were taken to Los Angeles, California to view the entire collection. It was simply magical! There were no hesitations to bring it to the American Gallery.”

The bulk of the Presidential Award-Winning collection remains housed in a converted wine cellar in the Kinsey’s sprawling Pacific Coast home. Of the 400 available pieces, 40 were hand-selected to comprise the Disney exhibit, but every six months they will be rotated until the entire collection has been viewed. To preserve the integrity and protect from light and moisture damage, some items in the exhibit are facsimiles.

Innovative Disney “Imagineers” teamed to create a gallery experience consistent with attractions throughout the resort’s multiple theme parts. Their daunting task was to build an interactive exhibit that brings African American history to life. Anthony Sparks, M.A. served as the writer/consultant for the project. For more than four months, the University of Southern California scholar and former stage actor (“Stomp”) worked to perfect the exhibit. “The big question was how to make a gallery kid-friendly?” he explained. “My goals were simple: appeal to families, all ages, and create something that worked on many levels.”

The project further involved condensing vast material to tell a cohesive story that was not all inclusive but gave a sense of the African American experience and five tenets of The Kinsey Collection: Hope, Belief, Courage, Heritage, and Imagination. Lanterns, symbolic of the freedom path, were given narrative voice by Academy Award winning actress Whoopi Goldberg. Additional A-list celebrities lending their sound were Chaundra Wilson and James Pickens, Jr. (Grey’s Anatomy), Kerry Washington (Scandal), ABC News Anchor Diane Sawyer, and others.

For Kinsey and wife Shirley, the realization of their cultural inheritance is an overwhelming achievement and accomplishment. “It now has a voice, a name, a personality,” offered Kinsey.

The Kinsey Family serves as a formidable example of African American resilience and strength. The Florida A&M University alums met during the civil rights movement and remain married 40 years later. Both are Xerox Corporation retirees who mastered saving money in their early lives together. The dividends have allowed them to travel more than 91 countries and help raise more than $22 million dollars to support HBCU’s. Their son Khalil currently serves as general manager of operations for The Kinsey Collection. While in grade-school, he exhibited an inquisitive nature regarding his family history. Both parents eagerly addressed his cultural thirst. The rest is Kinsey history.

Penny Dickerson is a Florida-based independent journalist. She is a frequent contributor to the Florida Courier, Florida Times-Union and other regional and national publications. Her work can be viewed at pennydickersonwrites.com.

Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

March 14, 2013 Filed under METRO Posted by admin

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Florida teens participate in Disney Dreamers Academy hosted by Steve Harvey, Essence Magazine

BY PENNY DICKERSON
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

High school students converged upon the state last week for the sixth annual Disney Dreamers Academy sponsored by Walt Disney World Resorts with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine.

The 100 students arrived from as far as California and Vermont with a cluster of Midwestern states represented. Bodacious dreams were packed along with stories as warm as the sunshine during a four-day, three-night weekend held March 6-10.

Each student was challenged to boldly reach for the stars like the foremost signature dreamer: Walt Disney. Among them were 11 Florida “Dreamers” selected from 5,000 submissions.Winning essays articulated everything from cancer adversity to presidential award achievements, and collectively they are the next generation of physicians, journalists, James Beard award culinary chefs, Academy Award-winning actors and Disney Imagineers.

‘How bad do you want it?’
Student Dwight James of Jacksonville was in awe of motivational speaker Jonathan Sprinkles who made a splash so big, he was awarded a Golden Mickie. “He gave one quote I’ll never forget,” said James. “Fear is nothing but false evidence that appears real.”

Keeping it real was thematic for the notable men who inspired. Florida A&M University graduate and film producer Will Packer encouraged teens to, “Stay focused, be consistent, and be known as someone who always delivers with excellence.”

Los Angeles philanthropist and entrepreneur Bernard Kinsey gave a presentation on Black history from The Kinsey Collection, which debuted at Epcot’s American Heritage Gallery.

“Henry Assian Flipper was the first West Point graduate in 1877,” stated Kinsey. “He wasn’t spoken to for four years due to his color and what did he still do? Graduate. How bad do you want it?”

‘Fly Girl 101’
“American Idol’’ runner-up Kimberly Locke left an indelible impression on Reaghan Wooster, a Harvard University bound 14 year-old from Yalaha, which is located in Lake County.

“I was inspired when she shared relationships were not supposed to be abusive,” said Wooster. “I have a stable family environment, but appreciated hearing abuse is not acceptable.”

A “Fly Girl 101” session was facilitated by twin sisters Brandi and Karli Harvey, daughters of Steve Harvey. Celebrity guests included Chaundra Wilson of “Grey’s Anatomy’’; celebrity chef Carla Hall, a co-host of “The Chew’’; and “Sunday Best’’ runner-up Jessica Reedy. Female Dreamers were given tips on everything from skirt length to confidence.

Erica Thomas, 16, from Land O’Lakes, kept it girl-power real. “I’m a Girl Scout,” she remarked. “When is it cool to not help someone? You’re never too old.”

Hands-on workshops
In “Deep Dives,” Dreamers delved into careers guided by industry professionals. Aisha Louis of Hollywood, Fla., was not accepted last year, but dreamed her way into the 2013 class where she wrote a front-page article for a newsletter produced by students during the academy.

“Since last year’s application, my writing skills grew,” Louis explained. “What I thought was my story wasn’t. I learned how to express.”

“They’ve been committed from the start,” said Tanisha Sykes, senior managing editor of Essence Magazine. “I’ve seen them focus, adhere to deadlines, and just have fun. It’s been phenomenal,” she added. Her leadership, along with Demorris Lee of the National Association of Black Journalists, saw the project through.

Marcus Burns, Jr. dreams of becoming an artist. The Jacksonville teen rendered art so impressive during his “dive’’ that Dwayne Edwards, former designer for Jordan Brand Shoes, recommended him for a potential internship.

Actor Lamman Rucker worked with creative dreamers while celebrity chef Jeff Henderson helped hone culinary skills.

Parental pow-wow
“Take care of yourself first. Healthy people raise healthy children,” advised Dr. Steve Perry. The CNN education contributor motivated parents during a personal session. “Beyond liking your kids, you have to lead them. You lead people you love.’’

Perry’s words resonated with parent Terlisa Sheppard, who is fighting stage four breast cancer. She receives chemotherapy but accompanied 14-year-old Alyah Sheppard, whom she calls her “miracle child.” The Orlando family further beat odds in 2011 when daughter Alexis Sheppard was also was accepted into the academy.

A parent or guardian was invited to accompany each Dreamer to the academy. The parents and students had a complimentary stay at the Disney Port Orleans Resort. Most mornings for the students began at 6:30 a.m.

Harvey’s advice
Dreamers were armed with portfolio notebooks and 100 personalized business cards. They were encouraged to network.

Steve Harvey joked with parents, “This weekend was created for the young people with the red shirts on. We just have programs for ya’ll so you can stay out the way.”

Punch lines were frequent but Harvey equally kept it above board.

“Whatever you do, whatever path you choose to take, please, please listen to me, put God right in the middle of your base,” pleaded Harvey. “That’s the best way. It will ensure your success; it will guarantee you get there.”

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Essence Magazine Editor-At-Large Mikki Taylor echoed with purpose. “As you pour into your dreams, please don’t focus on money. It’s just paper…you were created to do more than make paper,” stated Taylor.

“Pursue your dream in the full recognition that your gift is not just about you.”

‘All have a dream’
The World Showplace hosted a celebratory commencement featuring gospel legend Yolanda Adams.

Parents presented Dreamers with class rings by the company Josten, and tearful hugs.

Tracey Powell, Executive Champion of the Disney Dreamers Academy, leads the team responsible for program success. “This year has been fabulous,” stated Powell. “Every group of 100 is different and special, but the commonality is they all have a dream.”

Powell welcomes applications in June from all who dare to dream in 2014.

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What a great time I had covering this event. The “Dreamers” were absolutely incredible young men and women and the Walt Disney world staff displayed their expected perfection and “be our guest” flair. From the beautiful accommodations at the Animal Kingdom Resort to the first parade down to the closing ceremony featuring a lion king performance, it was simply incredible. That is the single, most befitting word that I can offer: incredible. Well done Steve Harvey, essence magazine, and disney!

ZORA! Festival 2013 “Sustaining a Culture of Color.”

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

ZORA! Sustaining a culture of color

February 7, 2013 Filed under METRO

Annual multi-day festival celebrates life of folklorist Zora Neale Hurston with plenty of art, crafts, history

Master Artist Charles Bibbs is renowned for his ability to bring the nuance of African-American culture to life through his visual artistry. The California resident’s work, like the one above, was showcased at the festival.(PENNY DICKERSON/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER)

BY PENNY DICKERSON
SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

The town of Eatonville celebrated the 24th annual ZORA! Festival with the theme: Zora’s Eatonville: Culture as Conservator of Community’s Heritage. The multi-day Zora Neale Hurston namesake event kicked off on Jan. 26 with its traditional pageantry and robust arts and cultural contributions from the African Diaspora to Florida.

A global perspective of the Humanities gave the 2013 occasion a unique educational approach with invited guests from Moscow, Russia and a rare view of Native American life through the lens of award-winning documentary producer Anne Makepeace. The event ended on Feb. 3 with a practical approach to preventive disease for African-Americans by Celebrity Chef Marvin Woods.

The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (P.E.C.) has presented the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities since 1990. Broadly known by the exclamatory epithet – ZORA!, this year’s festival marks the conclusion of a two-year celebration of Historic Eatonville’s 125th anniversary as the nation’s oldest incorporated African-American municipality.

Arts and literature
A distinctive voice in 20th-century literature, Hurston is best known for the 1937 iconic novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God.’’

The anthropologist, folklorist, and essayist emerged as a creative force during the Harlem Renaissance and advanced to literary stature as an intellectual who was imbued with a unique ability to vividly portray southern life

Historically deemed nomadic and restless with an exuberant personality and penchant for wearing hats, Hurston was born Jan. 7, 1891 and died Jan. 28, 1960. The festival in her adopted hometown of Eatonville is held each January in her posthumous memory through visual arts, oral history, traditional crafts, film, and, above all – literature.

HATitude a festival tradition
Women wearing brims as wide as their shoulders and pillboxes touting plumes and netted veils convened at the downtown Orlando Crown Plaza for HATitude!

An intimate affair of brunch and haute couture, the tradition is known as the festival’s hottest ticket in town and allows women ages 21 to 54 an opportunity to be “the stars” for an advance price of $50 and $55 at the door. Rhythmic to attitude, HATitude is celebratory of Hurston’s colorful existence and Renaissance flair for finishing outfits with a hat.

Marjorie Phillips chose a standard black felt hat that was complementary to her petite frame and didn’t make as much noise as the more contemporary and flamboyant chapeaus at her table.

“I am not really a hat lover at all, “said Phillips. “I’ve heard so many great things about the brunch, but the most important thing I was told was you can’t get in without wearing a hat. For a few hours, I can learn to love a hat.”

Art in Eatonville
Master Artist Charles Bibbs is renowned for his innate ability to bring the nuance of African-American culture to life through his visual artistry. The southern California native currently resides in Riverside and began his career as a street artist who worked as a supervisor for Boeing aircraft.

“I left aviation and became a full-time artist in 1993,” offered Bibbs. “African-American people created a market for African-American art and I was in the right place at the right time.”

Bibbs cannot boast any formal training, but has a degree in business with a minor in Art. From California streets to Eatonville’s Kennedy Boulevard, the spectacled genius joined colleagues on fine arts lane where he welcomed a continual host of fans and emerging artists eager to meet the man who masters both his people and color.

“I’m a mixed media artist, mainly acrylic and ink,” explained Bibbs. “I’m a believer that you paint by what you know and what you experience and that’s what I’ve done over the years and I’ve been successful at it…the important thing that I preach is that we need to breed collectors. And they need a starting point.

They need to be able to buy a poster and a print and as they move on, they will be able to understand what they are buying through education.”

According to Bibbs, art is based upon affordability and he belongs to a community of artists who seek to merge the efforts of a mainstream and elite audience to advance the art form and opportunities for all. When asked the advice he would give potential artists, Bibbs imparts, “Approach it like a business and not something so special you can’t part with.”

From tofu to turkey
Everybody screamed for the fresh churned, homemade ice cream and additional sugary delights during the popular “Outdoor Festival of the Arts.” Amidst children performing on the steps of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, street peddlers pushed red wagons filled with candy apples down Kennedy Boulevard while vendors prodded visitors into rows of white tents.

For a fixed or bargained price, attendees could purchase everything from pure African shea butter to T-shirts from President Barack Obama’s inauguration. In the biggest tent, adjacent to preferred soul food and fried fish that has watered festival palettes for years, Celebrity Chef Marvin Woods led a one-man campaign to help African-Americans prevent the prevalent diseases that affect our race: diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. Behind a colorful set of fresh fruit, exotic spices and natural grain ingredients, Woods simultaneously lectured and demonstrated a healthy recipe using either tofu or turkey for chili. 130208_metro01c

“I’m giving you a recipe that is easy and nutritious,” said Woods. “African-Americans are used to smoked meats that are not really naturally smoked, but rather injected with smoke flavors. That’s sodium and creates a high salt intake and leads to diseases that can shorten lives.”

Woods suggested smoked paprika for a spice and the grains Quinoa and Farro as white rice alternatives. Upon sampling the final product, many guests were shocked at their affinity to adapt to the recipe. “I eat any and everything, but I do it in moderation,” explained Woods. “People need to learn the concept of eat more weigh less: 64 ounces of water, five meals a day, and some form of exercise.”

Bridging the Black male gap
Consistent with the festival’s theme, innovative artists represented projects created to give voice to the role of communities in the preservation of heritage.

Houston activist and artist Rick Lowe, founder of Project Row Houses joined Hank Willis Thomas for an opening reception and gallery talk on the cutting edge transmedia art project titled Question Bridge: Black Males.

The brainchild of innovators Thomas and Chris Johnson, the two collaborated with Bayete Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair to document provocative dialogue that stemmed from a five-channel video installation representing more than 150 Black men in 12 U.S. cities. Considered more of a “megalogue,” the stream-of -consciousness inquiries run the gamut of family, love, sexuality, community, education, and the most prevalent dilemma for today’s black men: violence.

A predominantly female audience attended an evening community engagement and panel discussion on Feb. 1 in the Eatonville Library following a walk-through tour in the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts on Kennedy Boulevard.

“The project is not just about Black males, it’s about people and how people react when put in a group, and how they react within that group,” explained Thomas.

Featured males posed questions like the poignant, “What is common to us as Black males?” A male responds: “Our commonality is in our history. Our beauty is who we are as Black people.” That respondent then poses his own question and the cyclic inquiry continues.

Captured responses ranged from the candid, “What’s so cool about selling crack?” to an incarcerated Black male in the San Diego prison being asked, “Are you ready for freedom?” A continued “Talk Back” session was held Saturday afternoon during “Family Day.”

Sustaining ZORA!
“We need a little bit of money from a whole lot of people,” pleaded N.Y. Nathiri, director of Multidisciplinary Programs and Chair of the ZORA! Festival National Planners. The committee dedicated a full page in the festival guide outlining their appeal to “those who value ZORA! Festival. The following is explicitly outlined as follows:

“For the first since the P.E.C. began competing for tourist development tax grant dollars (2002), ZORA! Festival 2013 was not recommended for funding. However, on October 16 (2012), in a first-ever, one-time exception, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, in a 6-1 vote, allocated the $150.000, $1-for-$1 cash match grant to P.E.C. as long as our organization was able to meet certain stipulations…one of those stipulations was to make a report on April 2013 which addresses how well our organization has been able to expand its funding base; and to demonstrate a “broad public endorsement” of ZORA! Festival by documenting the individual financial investments we receive during “the festival cycle,” i.e. November 1, 2012 – April 30, 2013.”

Their first effort to address the aforementioned was to charge admission. Attendees ages 17 and younger were admitted free. Those older were asked to give a cash donation. The future of ZORA! Festival and Hurston’s cultural legacy rests in the contributions left in envelopes provided by the community. Next year the festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Meatless March

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

Let’s get the important questions out of the way first: “Who thought of this?” Whose big idea was it to proclaim the month of March as a “meatless” countdown of tofu indused stress and a fruit and grain marathon? I love all fruits and most grains as well, but I am not one to adhere to dictations and orders. (I am a work in progress).

Don’t get me wrong…I”m doing it, because I am “calendar–obedient.” I am obedient in other ways, but other than abiding by the tenets of “Oprah,” I rely on the calendar months to remind me when it’s time to honor “this cause or that” versus just simply watching the days of the week go by in each month and then claim with glee: TGIF! Donna Summer left us with a real gem.

I can give up anything for 31 days. It’s been done before. While living in Jersey, (yes, New Jersey…there’s only one), I endeavored the organic diet-thing and did so with much success. I’m not going to discuss the impetus for the change because it just seems to make me a martyr for cancer and I’m not. I am a strong-survivor, but I would be a deceitful blogger if I allowed readers to believe that diet along cures it all. It doesn’t. Don’t believe the hype. Diet is essential. Diet helps. But diet alone simply gives you mental peace and an intestinal tract that is happy. And who doesn’t want a happy intestinal tract?

Me and meat? Us been bedfellows for years since I was a mere, fried chicken eating tot to an adult, collegiate-chick who craved the smoked ribs my mother MASTERED on her front patio grill. NO ONE can smoke a rib like my mother. Unfortunately, no one can put heat to any section of a slaughtered pig’s carcass or a cow’s butt like my mother either. I grew up doing the same, and until I really needed to change, I didn’t.

I am a great cook. I enjoy cooking and own cookbooks and aprons. (Real cooks have aprons – plural). I celebrate a pallette that has tasted delicacies from most cultures, but as an adult, my pallette has changed. I am aware that being carniverous means partaking of the carcass of an animal which leads to most carcinomas. OK Class: which three words are closest in relation? Carniverous, Carcass, and Carcinoma. Perfect. You each earn an “A.”

Living life as a carniverous human (meat eater) who worships at the altar of a carcass’ flesh (animal tissue and meat) will ultimately lead you to suffer from a debilitating carcinoma (disease classified as cancer).

These days, I tend to be “grossed-out” by grease and feel immense guilt after a good plate of curried goat. I will, however, CUT CHU over some good jerk chicken. (yes, I am blogging out of boredom).

What really sent me to the keys and got me ta-tap-tap tapping away is the fact that I needed a mental break from the rigors of my life. What may they be? Hmmmmm. In no particular order they are the blessings of writing (Thank you Jesus, Martha and Mary), an upcoming week that is destined to be exciting and hopefully destined, my precocious granddaughter “Journey Nicole” who requires or demands nothing in particular of me, she’s just worthy of mention because she’s so friggin’ cute, and the new guy. Yes…the new guy. I am some-kind-of-way meatless in March and mood-altererd over a new guy in Miami. I am over the moon. (Maybe:-)

Anyway, when I am stressed, I do one of two things: I write or I cook. Sometimes I read, but that would be three things. Prior to hitting the “keys” I prepared black bean salsa with mango and parsley for my daughter and I. Actually, I made it for me, but she devoured it.

It’s good stuff. Nutritious, delicious, colorful, textured and flavor fitting, and most important: meatless. Why? Because it’s March (pay attention).

Last week, actually Friday when March madness began, I kicked off the meatless festival with a beautiful breakfast. Actually, my first meal of the day is rarely meat-complemented because I am an oatmeal connoiseur and additionally love yogurt. Unfortunately, I also adore bacon. Yup. You heard me right. Bacon. I love the smell, the idea, the slender appearance, the salt-induced orgasm… Oh baby! Bacon really does make everything better, but it is sho’ ‘nuf meat. Even Turkey bacon, which I both have in the fridge and enjoy, but, “Wow.” C’mon March. No meat? Really? If this is followed by “Agnostic April,” I’m out!

The photo above is Friday’s breakfast. Two eggs, sunny-side my-way and sitting pretty on a bed of diced red potatoes cooked with yellow pepper and scallion. Yes, I take pictures of my food. Don’t you? No? Well, I do. How else do you think I keep this website going?

So, the thing about going meatless, is not that you miss the meat, you will, but what you’re really missing is “texture.” Meat is generally the most textured and tough, tongue-tantalizer in our meals. In the absence of meat, we feel like we’re indulging in a slippery and empty digestion of food that leaves us saying, “Gee, I’m still hungry. You still hungry? I”m STILL hungry.” In addition to needing to replace the protein you’ll miss from meat, rack up on foods that are loaded in texture. Kelsey (my daughter) enjoyed her black bean salsa with tortilla chips and the red beans and rice I prepared. I feel full, and felt the same way after Friday’s breakfast. How many more days to go? Hmmmmm. I dunno. I think there’s something about NOT ingesting something you’re used to that makes you want it MORE. (Someone reading this is going all “blah-blah-blah” over rice and potatoes being starches, but ya know what? Relax ~ Yes, they are a starch, but they are not meat!)

The entire city of Jacksonville smells like fried chicken I am not exaggerating. I am spending day three into Meatless March craving fried chicken. How “residential fair” is that? Popeyes, Church’s Chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Jimmy’s Buttermilk Chicken, Hardees Fried Chicken. We are a southern city of grease saturated fowl. We can’t help it though; It’s law. I actually “jacked’ that from another one of my own blogs: “frying food in the south is practically law.” And who wants to be an “outlaw?” Not even a freed slave in an Academy Award winning movie. Sometimes, I wonder if fried chicken emerged before or post civil war? I don’t dwell on it, but it does occasionally cross my mind.

OK. The other M’s in my life are calling: midnight, morning, Monday, murder (Part V of Jimmy Jackson), preparing to see Mickey Mouse, Miami and a man named “Michael.” I think I have a better idea about Meatless March and it is: MODERATION. (I totally cheated at the breakfast buffet this morning with a strip of bacon, but I swear, I double-dog SWEAR, I also ordered a made-to-order veggie omlette).

M-O-D-E-R-A-T-I-O-N

Absolutes have never been my strong suit.

Penny Dickerson

Jacksonville Film Festival 2011

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Penny Dickerson

What a wonderful weekend I had covering the Jacksonville Film Festival. In all fairness, yes, the additions of the African American films (and their producers and featured actresses) were last minute additions, but we made the best of Friday thru Sunday, and I’m grateful to the Gods of journalism that I was able to “capture” and “cover” some semblance of activity that would best promote the “contingency of color.” It would be a wonderful testament if I could offer commentary that included “color” being an irrelevant barrier in the film industry, but just as difficult as it is for women and men of color to land feature roles, it is equally a challenge for budding and/or established producers/directors/writers of independent films to garner funding for quality production and wide distribution.

I had the extraordinaire opportunity to spend quality time with Los Angeles producer Tim Alexander who is best known for his iconic-cult flick, “Diary of a Tired Black Man.” What’s ironic about meeting Tim is that months prior, I composed a blog titled, “Why it’s hard to date a black woman,” and included his film’s poster image. I’d never seen the film, but gee…I never thought I’d breathe both the writer/producer/director into my life by writing a “harmless” (cough, cough) blog. Let me just say it was a blessing in disguise, because to know Tim Alexander and understand his theatrical mission is imperative to the alternative which is simply being “put off” by his approach. The same is true for my often “rush to judge” personality as people are pleasingly surprised that I am much different than expected, once they give me a glass of Chardonnay (Just kidding…sort of). Actually, most people with a strong creative vibe and drive are an anomaly until you pull back their layers. Tim Alexander hides a very delicate and soft interior, but the journey to that revelation is no joke!

We started the evening with an interview at “Indochine” (Downtown) Jacksonville. He appeared very soft-spoken, didn’t drink alcohol, and was Thai food friendly. Loquacious? You bet. Controlling? Of course. Annoying? Nawwwww.

Tim is just Tim, and again, until you’ve broken bread (or chopsticks) with him, don’t judge the impact of an experienced black man…who just so happened to be “tired” as well. Tired of what? Well, let me just offer the following quote, which is a chauvinistic jewel, “I once dated a woman who would argue with me simply because she could breath,” Alexander said. A week later on Facebook, I told him, “You should have done something to take her breath away.” If it were a harmless tennis match, we’d be “Love-Love,” but Tim serves hard and fast and furious, so by the time we endured dinner, my interview was riddled with insults regarding my journalist style (I write freehand, tape recorders are for politicians…and their mistresses). Besides, my subjects don’t tell me what to ask, I ask what I deem necessary to what I will ultimately write, but that night, Tim was determined to monopolize my flow (I must admit he owns a “sexy sense of angry.”)

The night progressed, and Valerie Jones, Chair of Black Cinema Spotlight had publicity plans for Tim, but we had to venture to the Omni Downtown first. This would have also been a harmless event, but then: Tim Alexander met Cassandra Freeman (Thunder, Lightening Bolts, Dogs seek cover…)

Cassie, as she is affectionately called by those worthy, is a Jacksonville native, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts graduate, and emerging actress who has starred opposite Denzel Washington (“Inside Man”) and was featured during the festival as Lieutenant Rose in the stellar, independent film: “Kinyarwanda.”

Let’s just say, “Cassie did not mince words with Tim and Tim met his match.” It was film worthy and I’m certain at least ONE of them would have earned an Oscar for “Oustanding Defense of A Gender Outside A Quasi Upscale Hotel.” Who won? Well, It’s neither here nor there, because like all artists, they both took the high road, and we all moved on. Actually, they posed for a photo as though nothing had ever been blurted, I mean retorted, I mean..said. They are both smiling in the lovely image below (they both think they won!) All I can say is, “As a woman thinketh, so is she.”(A King James Version revision on my part).

So the night progressed, and Tim rode shotgun with me to our next location which is when I quietly discovered: Tim Alexander is a “narcoleptic.” That man can fall asleep ANYWHERE at the click of a traffic light change. Wow…Let me also add a litany of positive things about him before he reads this and slaughters me with feminist insults: Tim Alexander is one of the most brilliant, confident, determined, hard working men I’ve ever met. He’s a gentle soul, but a man of measure who has an exceptional sense of self. He is a devoted father to two twin sons and is engaged to a most beautiful woman named, “Nyra” who I had the pleasure of speaking to (while driving) and during the few moments Tim was awake, and whenever Tim was awake, he popped his Apple laptop open and shared photos, visions of his mastermind plan, and gazed endearingly at his lovely family.Tim Alexander is 110% devoted to creating films that speak to the more positive and relevant matters of African American families. He is a professed “Social Activist” and founder of “Learning Through Conflict” a company devoted to promoting varied media that inspires.

“When people see my films, I want them to look at themselves, not what’s on the screen,” Alexander said. “People love conflict, but I want them to see something that allows them to see things a different way.” This point of view was more than adequately demonstrated by his debut of “A Mother’s Love.” I literally cried.

It is a magnificent film that is worthy of wide-audience circulation, but preferably, being adapted by a major movie company and, well, I don’t know if that’s what Tim wants, but I do know he wants “Folks” to view it in a theatre near you. At the time of this writing, it debuted in Chicago, Illinois the weekend of December 2nd, 2011. I’ll have to give Tim a call to see how things went. (Yeah, I know…I’m behind the eight ball). By the way Tim, my B1- English IV senior class keeps asking, “Hey, when are we gonna see the rest of that film?”

Moving along with Friday evening, I accompanied Tim to a nightclub to promote his Saturday afternoon viewing which was held in Five Points. (I’m the beautiful individual in the middle of the two “tired black men.”) It wasn’t the best of crowds or opportunity for a “next day” promo, but we made the best of it…Tim made the most of it… and the owner served him some fabulous Tilapia and french fries. I would be remiss if I didn’t say I’ve never been to a West Indian owned ANYTHING that didn’t serve “Ting.” (me devastated Mon.)

I would also be remiss if I didn’t add that Hollywood stunt artist Derrick Simmons debuted his film, “Women Do It Better” and also made a special trip on Thursday prior to the film festival’s opening to Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Students of Debbie Lee Rouse (Co-chair of the English Department) and my “Critical Theory” crew were thrilled to see his film vignettes as he has appeared in over 100 Hollywood movies for Tyler Perry (he went in the hot tub in “Diary of a Tired Black Woman), tumbled down the steps in “Precious” and was Jamie Foxxes double in “Ray.” Of course there’s more like “The Wire” (great HBO goner…) and Law and Order. I thoroughly enjoyed his film and thought it offered a rather light and humorous side to what women clearly “do better.” We do “IT” better. Now, define your it.

The Jacksonville Film festival proved to be a weekend of “potential” that would have been further enhanced had MORE (or any) African Americans actually showed up to view the films and support ALL artists, regardless of race, creed, or color. Of course African Americans do need and have the right to command more appeal because it’s harder for any Indie (Independent), much harder for an African American Indie, and practically a feat of impossibility for a female indie. But, there are trailblazers, pioneers, examples, and renegades who break through barriers and pave the way for others to follow suit.

Just let me leave you with a reflective thought (Jacksonville): If we fly notable film artists in town from Los Angeles and New York and no one shows up to support them, it looks bad (real bad). Almost as bad as I felt having to explain to Tim Alexander why The Jacksonville Landing is a bust, why our new Courthouse looks like the Parthenon, and why there is a non-moving, passenger-less “Sky Way” track that circles the perimeter of downtown, but never moves. My standard response was, “We have a new black mayor and downtown Jacksonville is getting ready to BLOW UP.” I actually believe the latter and thank my lucky stars that our Film Festival left before our coveted NFL team fired its coach and was sold to a wealthy man from Pakistan. Nevertheless and Nonetheless, we are a city rich with potential, but we need for “every human being with two legs and two eyes” to support the 2012 Jacksonville Film Festival. You never know (All ye of hopes and dreams), the next emerging film success could be you, and it would be a shame if no one ever saw or knew ~

Penny Dickerson 2011

Penny Dickerson Writes

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This article is a follow-up to my April 5, 2013 story on Proposition 8 and Same-sex Marriage.

It appeared in the Florida Courier and was titled: “SIN OR CIVIL RIGHT.”

I found it a tremendous CHALLENGE to find ANYONE in the state of Florida to go “on record” with both an admission of their same-sex lifestyle and/or willingness to simply speak on the issues affecting human rights.

Three of Florida’s vocal voices on gay rights discuss their journey and their thoughts on same-sex marriage

Related stories

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

SIN – OR CIVIL RIGHT?

Black Floridians are on both sides of the gay marriage controversy

Related stories

Share this:

Like this:

Was the decision to go ‘gunless’ in the ‘Gunshine State’ fatal?

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a series of stories framing the life of James Roland Jackson, III, known as “Jimmy” to his family.

Related stories

Share this:

Like this:

A Whole New World: The Kinsey Collection

The Kinsey Collection

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Like this:

WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

Florida teens participate in Disney Dreamers Academy hosted by Steve Harvey, Essence Magazine

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Like this:

Annual multi-day festival celebrates life of folklorist Zora Neale Hurston with plenty of art, crafts, history

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Follow “Penny Dickerson Writes”