E N T E R TA I N S ,
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I N F O R M S
Volume 9 – Number 28 JULY/AUGUST 2017
CELEBRATING FAMILY DISCOVERING YOUR ROOTS
A BLUEPRINT FOR
SUCCESS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA DEAN CHIMAY ANUMBA
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BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT BLACK MARRIAGE $3.50 onyxmagazine.com
contents 8 Discover Your Roots at the Library 10 A Blueprint for Success 15 Town’s History Highlights Courage, Dignity 16 Things to Consider Before Adoption 18 Top Four Myths About Black Marriage 20 On the Quad 23 Four Ways to Boost Kids’ Self Esteem 24 Planning a Healthy Family Reunion 26 Supporting Medical Research 29 Visit Pensacola 30 Florida Scope 33 Luncheon Raises Funds for Health Equity 34 ONYX Salutes Lillian Seays 35 ONYX Salutes Mable Butler 36 LIFT Orlando Making Progress in West Lakes 38 Millennials May Be Financially Savvy 39 Critical Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 40 Talking With Your Child About Sex 42 People on the Move: Gary Hartfield 43 People on the Move: Ava Parker 44 Temporary Protected Status for Haitian Immigrants 46 Cool Summer Drink
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EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURE: ONE-ON-ONE WITH UF’S DEAN CHIMAY ANUMBA Cover photo by Hannah Pietrick/UF
Photo by Hannah Pietrick/UF
10
COVER STORY
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Some Things to Consider Before Adopting a Child By Kelly King Alexander
offers unsecured loans and small grants to adoptive families (call 203-791-3811or go to www.nafadopt.org). 5. Research the law. If adopting domestically, research state laws. If adopting internationally, investigate the eligibility requirements of target countries and U.S. State Department regulations.
1. Learn all you can. Read books and magazines. Visit Websites. Talk to other parents. Meet with adoptive parents and their children. Join adoptive parent support groups. Make it known that you want to adopt so they will think of you if they hear of an available child. 2. Find professionals — agencies, attorneys and other adoption experts — in your area. Attend informational meetings held by public and private agencies. Ask for brochures and handouts. Talk with social workers, attorneys, facilitators, agency representatives.
Screen any agency or attorney you think you might use. Check references. 3. Do some soul searching. Decide whether you want an infant or older child, boy or girl, domestic or foreign-born child. Usually, more specific requests will take longer. Consider whether you would be open to twins or sibling groups or whether you can handle a special needs child. Think about whether you want an open relationship with the birth parents. Decide whether you want an independent nonagency adoption, a public agency adoption or a private agency adoption. 4. Come up with a financing plan. Determine the cost of the type of adoption you seek. Draw upon savings, grants, and loans from church groups, friends and family The National Adoption Foundation
7. Carefully consider any child you might adopt. Explore the child’s medical history and social and emotional background. Ask a pediatrician’s advice about what to expect. 8. Use post-adoption services. Once the adoption is complete, join an adoptive families support group. If the adoption is international or interracial, seek support groups for help with birth culture. If the child has special needs, seek supplemental medical or counseling services. Provided by Parents Magazine
For additional resources, visit africanamericanadoptionsonline.com. 16 ONYX MAGAZINE
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Building a family is an exciting time. Whether you want to start your family or expand it through adoption, there are a few things you should consider before going forward.
6. Complete a home study. Gather multiple notarized copies of birth certificates, marriage licenses, medical exams, financial statements (including the last three years’ tax returns, photographs of you and your home, a written autobiography, employment records, criminal clearance documents, fingerprints, three letters of reference, a report on your home with deed, and (possibly) a psychological evaluation, and, in international adoptions, INS documents, passports, and copies of State Department laws in English and in the language of the country you have chosen to adopt from. Prepare for an interview by a social worker or agency.
ON THE
QUAD B-CU Office of Chaplaincy Travels to Ireland B-CU Department of Communications Bethune-Cookman University’s (B-CU) Reverend John Baldwin, Reverend Kenya Lovell, and Mr. Wallace Wyatt III set out on a journey to Northern Ireland to take part in the, “Rethinking Conflict Conference,” sponsored by the United Methodist Church General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. B-CU was one of three schools that took part in the conference, with eight students along for the experience. The group attended the conference to learn more about the political and religious struggle and violence over many decades between republicans and loyalists of the Protestant and Catholic church. “This travel seminar will embed you in an environment of conflict and conflict resolution, a setting that is actively involved in healing and creating new relationships between people, neighborhoods, and communities,” said Reverend Baldwin. The goal of the conference was for attendees to leave Northern Ireland with a strong sense of the difficulties that communities and individuals face in building peace in the midst of conflict as well as practical tools that will enhance the work to bring about positive change in conflicted situations.
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FAMU DRS Pioneers Online Learning Program FAMU Dept. of Communications A new research project designed to develop online learning methods and technologies is under way at the Florida A& M University (FAMU) Developmental Research School (DRS) in a public-private partnership between the University’s Division of Research, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the University of Phoenix. The project is the first to apply online learning and teaching methods at a Historically Black College or University. DRS provided a guided tour of the laboratory where students showed state lawmakers, a host of elected officials and educators on how online learning works. For senior Aston Edmunds, taking his American government class online gives him an advantage. “I’m a visual learner. The different tutorials and the different notes that they teach us before we take the test online are very helpful,” Edmunds said. Because African American high school students struggle to meet ACT benchmarks, the alliance believes their online teaching strategies could be a remedy. College readiness requires a change to traditional teaching methods and the alliance believes the FAMU DRS program will help students meet those important goals, close academic gaps and improve the chances of an on-time college graduation. The unique collaborative effort developed a new “blended” learning education classroom to improve student learning, teacher resources and to ultimately project STEM content to low wealth communities around the state of Florida. The program comes at no cost to Florida taxpayers, according to FAMU Vice President of Research, Timothy E. Moore, Ph.D. Read the entire story at onyxmagazine.com.
St. Petersburg College Names First African-American and First Woman President During a special meeting in May, the Board of Trustees of St. Petersburg College (SPC) selected Tonjua Williams, Ph.D., as the college’s next President. The board voted unanimously on the selection. Williams is currently the Sr. Vice President Student Services at St. Petersburg College, a capacity she has served in since 2013. Williams, SPC’s seventh president, will be the college’s first woman and first African-American to serve as president. “She didn’t have to sell me on SPC. I was more excited to be part of this institution after hearing her speak about it than I have been in maybe the past few years,” said Trustee Nathan Stonecipher. “She is passionate about St. Petersburg College. That bleeds out of her.” Williams, a 30-year veteran of SPC, previously served as Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs and Provost of the Tarpon Springs Campus. Williams earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Barry University, a master’s degree in Counselor Education from University of South Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Humanities from Clearwater Christian College.
EWC Offers Courses to High School Students EWC Dept. of Communications Edward Waters College (EWC) announced that it will accept high school students in its college-level criminal justice courses in the fall of 2017. About 45 students at Raines and Ribault High Schools in Jacksonville’s Northside signed up for a pilot class that was offered in the spring, showing promising potential for enrollment. The program includes four classes to introduce juniors and seniors at Raines and Ribault to the law, the courts and the juvenile justice system. Students also will take field trips to courtrooms, jails and attorney’s offices. “These courses are toward their degree in criminal justice, which we offer as a bachelor’s degree course on our college campus,” said Marvin Grant, the head of academic affairs at EWC. “So these students have an opportunity to take the beginning courses that will ultimately lead to a degree in criminal justice.”
FMU Murals Win Award South Florida Times staff report Truth Initiative® and the CVS Health Foundation joined students and faculty at Florida Memorial University (FMU) in the spring to unveil a new tobacco-free campus mural. FMU was one of five schools to win a tobacco-free mural contest sponsored by the youth smoking prevention campaign and the Foundation. Some faculty, staff and students drafted a tobacco-free policy recommendation to present to administration. “With 99 percent of smokers starting before age 27, college campuses are critical to preventing young adults from starting tobacco use, aiding current smokers in quitting and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke for all,” said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative, the national public health organization that directs and funds the ‘truth’ campaign. According to Truth, tobacco is not an equal opportunity killer. Tobacco-free campuses are especially important because African-Americans, low-income neighborhoods, LGBTQ communities and those with mental illness have been profiled by the tobacco industry for decades. Therefore, Truth and CVS Health Foundation partnered with students and administrators at FMU and more than 100 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as community colleges across the country, to support their efforts to adopt 100 percent smoke- or tobacco-free policies. By speaking, seeking and spreading the truth about tobacco, Truth said it has helped bring teen cigarette use to a record low of 6 percent.
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