“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Title IX

Last week, the nation celebrated the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark Education Amendments of 1972, which mandate that girls and women receive equal access to academic and athletic opportunities in our nation’s schools and colleges.  A White House press release notes that, “At a time when many universities barred the admission of women and when female sports teams were scarce, Title IX marked a momentous shift for women’s equality in classrooms, on playing fields, and in communities throughout our nation.”

While best known for its emphasis on gender equality in sports, the law has been instrumental in advancing women’s rights in many other areas.  President Obama, who coaches his daughter Sasha’s basketball team, commented: “Title IX isn’t just about sports.  From addressing inequality in math and science education to preventing sexual assault on campus to fairly funding athletic programs, Title IX ensures equality for our young people in every aspect of their education.  It’s a springboard for success.”

The Associated Press reports that “Before Title IX, fewer than 300,000 high school girls – 1 in 27 – played sports.  Now, more than 3 million high school girls – 1 in 2 – play sports.  More than 191,000 females played NCAA sports in 2010-11.”   Title IX is also responsible for the increasing numbers of women in the nation’s law and medical schools.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan is right when he says that “Title IX is one of the great civil rights success stories in education.”  But it is also true that girls and women are still underrepresented in many areas of education and there remain gaps in Title IX enforcement that must be closed.

A report by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), notes that “In the last three fiscal years, OCR received nearly 3,000 Title IX-related complaints – more than ever before in a similar period – and launched more than 35 investigations.”  The study also found that while girls make up 49 percent of high school enrollment, they still comprise 42 percent of athletes.  And of the 10,000 schools in the study that offer single-sex athletics, 57 percent offered fewer athletic teams for girls than for boys.

In addition, while women outnumber men in the population and in college graduation, they remain woefully underrepresented in the STEM fields – the growth industries of the future.  According to OCR, ” In 2008-09, women earned fewer than 18 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in computer and information sciences, and women from underrepresented minorities earned less than 7 percent of bachelor’s degrees in those fields.”  Less than 4 percent of degrees in engineering were awarded to women from underrepresented minorities.”

Clearly, the promise of Title IX has not yet been fully realized.   We applaud the Obama administration for taking steps to improve enforcement and further close gender gaps.  And we will intensify our own efforts in support of quality education for all, including greater access to community-based STEM learning for African American boys and girls.  Title IX has served the nation well for the past 40 years.  We must uphold the spirit and the letter of the law for the next 40 years and beyond.

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – As more people become covered as a result of the Affordable Care Act recently upheld by the United States Supreme Court, the current shortage of physicians is expect worsen, according to medical experts.

“We have a looming shortage of primary care physicians in this country,” said Esther Dyer, executive director of National Medical Fellowships. “Within the next five to six years there will be a shortage of at least 40,000 primary care physicians.”

But that was expected before last Thursday’s landmark court decision that paves the way for 32 million newly-insured Americans to begin receiving health services.

The Association of American Medical Colleges now says the physician shortage is “projected to climb to more than 90,000 by 2020.”

Physician shortage is hardly a news flash but certainly a reality now. Health care professionals and advocates have long advocated solutions for reversing the physician shortage, including  loan forgiveness and scholarship programs to assist potential medical students.

Further complicating the physician shortage is the roughly 80 million baby boomers aging into retirement. With a shortage of doctors opting to go into primary care and the fact that many of the existing primary care doctors are baby boomers themselves only compounds the problem.

The medical community has called for an increase of the number of government-supported residencies to help replace some of those retiring physicians and the Association of American Medical Colleges hopes to increase medical school enrollment 30 percent by 2013.

“More medical students are going into specialties versus primary care. Many students are choosing other careers in terms of choosing specialties,” said Dyer. “Being the top cardiology surgeon is not the only health care provider option.”

Despite the expected rush of millions of new patients entering the system, many medical professionals have expressed enthusiasm about the court decision. Dr. Cedric Bright, president of the National Medical Association, which represents Black physicians, said in a statement released the day of the ruling:

“The ACA is working. More seniors can now afford their meds. Young people can stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26,” said Bright, who is also the Assistant Dean of Special Programs and Admissions in the Department of Medical Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

He added, “Insurers no longer deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions, or drop people because they get sick. We are doing a better job of coordinating care, and we now have better prospects for preventing chronic disease.”

Health Affairs magazine, in a report, titled “The Affordable Care Act’s Coverage Expansions Will Reduce Differences in Uninsurance Rates by Race and Ethnicity,” found that 21.6 percent of African-Americans are without health insurance, compared with 13.9 percent of Whites and 33.3 percent of Latinos.

Overall, 50.3 million Americans are uninsured, a figure that is projected to drop to 26.4 million now that the Affordable Care Act has been upheld. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage will account for “disproportionately large gains in coverage” among Black people. An 8.4 percent increase is expected in coverage of Black people by these two programs, rising to 36.5 percent.

There is an acute shortage of physicians of color.

According to data from Kaiser Permanente, while 14 percent of the population is Black, only 4 percent are physicians. Similarly, 16 percent of the population is Latino, while only 5 percent of physicians are Latino.

“There are more patients from underserved communities starting to enter into the health care system because of health care reform,” said Yvette Radford, a member of the National Medical Fellowships board and vice president for external and community affairs for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “We’re going to need more doctors to be able to provide quality and culturally-sensitive health care.”

On June 7, Kaiser Permanente announced that it will commit $1 million to support the educating of Black and Latino medical students in an effort to provide these new and existing patients with care from people who understand them culturally.

In exchange for working in communities in need for two years full-time, the National Health Service Corps will repay up to $60,000 in student loans for primary care physicians. The state-funded New Jersey Primary Care Practitioner Loan Redemption Program repays up to $120,000 in student loans in exchange of at least four years of service in underserved areas such as Trenton and Gloucester.

There are more than 1,300 convenient care clinics in the country that could help offset the demand. Also known as walk-in clinics or retail clinics such asWalgreens’ TakeCareClinics, they tend to be open longer hours, are in drugstores and grocery stores, and address relatively minor issues such as bronchitis and ear infections.

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – It was about time. More than 60 years after 20,000 African-American men donned United States Marine Corps uniforms and trained at the legendary Montford Point Marine Corps facility in Jacksonville, N.C.,  the United States government celebrated them for their service with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor.

“It’s a long time coming,” said retired Sgt. Ruben McNair, 86, during an interview with ABC News in Washington, D.C. after the House passed a resolution last year honoring the Montford Point Marines. “Something you look forward to, wonder if you are going to make it to live long enough to see it.”

More than 400 of the surviving marines and their families showed up in Washington recently  for the ceremony. Some walked with canes others rolled in wheel chairs, all of them marching out of a shadowed history of the armed services and a time when Black men were still considered second-class citizens, denied the opportunity to serve as commissioned  officers, and unceremoniously discouraged from re-enlisting.

The young men that flowed through the segregated Montford Point camp just outside of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, renamed Camp Gilbert H. Johnson in 1974,  from 1942-1949 endured mosquito-ridden barracks, shoddy latrines that harbored swamp snakes and unsanitary mess hall conditions. Health care on the base was even worst, consisting of an all-purpose vitamin and brown syrup, mixed with mineral oil and castor oil.

Staph infections and salmonella plagued the Montford Point Marines for years. They suffered indignities at the hands of superior officers who often saw training Negroes to fight as a waste of time at best and dangerous at worst. Yet, historians say that those first Black marines of the 20th century knew that they suffered and sacrificed for more than proving their mettle in combat in foreign conflicts. They also saw the value in gaining skills that would make them more effective leaders in their communities.

“[The Montford Point Marines] still understood the importance of defeating fascism abroad and by doing this thing they would be better prepared to deal with racism at home,” said Hari Jones assistant director and curator of the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum. Jones said that their fight wasn’t just about one war. It was also about civil rights and making a better way of life for Blacks in America.

Although Jones, a former marine himself, cherishes the recent ceremony in Washington honoring the Montford Point veterans, he’s saddened that the United States Marine Corps fails to tell the whole story.

“With the Marine Corps, the most disappointing thing is whenever they talk about the first African-American marines they leave out the African-Americans that served in the Continental Marine Corps and that disappoints me,” Jones said.

But telling that story is more complicated.

Blacks participated in every single armed conflict dating back to their service in the Continental Marine Corps during the Revolutionary War. John Martin, the first known Black Marine, served on the USS Reprisal from April 1776 to October 1777, engaging in hard scrabble ship-to-ship fighting with the British fleet until the brig sank and his entire Marine platoon perished.

Although more than a dozen Blacks were identified in their service, historians estimate that many more took up arms, the final toll lost to records that often didn’t include race. The Continental Marine Corps disbanded in 1783. In 1798 when the U.S. government re-established the United States Marine Corps, it barred Blacks and Native Americans from enlisting.

“Telling the story of how African Americans were later forced out of the Marine Corps and let back in is just not a story that they have chosen to tell and that’s disappointing because we know that they were there,” Jones said.

Not only were African Americans there, they showed their valor in significant numbers at every opportunity, fighting and dying for the ideals of a young nation.

After suffering heavy losses during the first year of the War of 1812, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army lifted the ban on Black soldiers with help from Congress. Black sailors accounted for 15-20 percent of all enlisted men in the United States Navy.

During the American Civil War, when African Americans accounted for 1 percent of the northern population, they made up 10 percent of the Union Army and 15 percent of the Navy. Black soldiers earned 25 Medals of Honor for their indispensable service and bravery during the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that, “Without the military help of the Black freedmen, the war against the South could not have been won.”

Fifty years later, as the United States prepared to go to war with Germany for the first time, the U.S. government would again turn away from the descendants of those “freedmen” that helped to preserve the Union. It didn’t take long for the U.S. military to realize that their mission was doomed to fail if they excluded African-Americans from their war efforts abroad.

Even as young, patriotic African-Americans crowded into U.S. military recruitment centers to bolster those war efforts, their eagerness and patriotism was often met with disdain.

General John “Black Jack” Pershing, often considered a mentor to World War II generals such as  Dwight D. Eisenhower, George C. Marshall and George S. Patton, displayed this contempt for Black soldiers in a secret communiqué to French military in August 1918:

“We must not eat with them, must not shake hands with them, seek to talk to them or to meet with them outside the requirements of military service. We must not commend too highly these troops, especially in front of white Americans…”

American generals with roots in the South, including LTG Robert Bullard, commander of the American Second Army, were so adamant in their resistance to arming Black soldiers and employing them in combat on the frontlines that they sabotaged all-Black units such as the 92d Division with inadequate training, reduced their successes to rumor while holding their failures on the battlefield under a microscope.

Jones said that the efforts of some high-ranking U.S. military officers to disparage Black soldiers lasted for decades in a concerted effort to limit the combat training they received for fear of giving Blacks the tools and the know-how to fend off violent racist attacks at home.

“If I teach you how to use a weapon, if I teach you how to plan a defense, it’s going to be very difficult for the Klan to do what they’re doing,” Jones said.

According to records compiled by what was then known as Tuskegee Institute, 161 Blacks were lynched in 1892. In 1909, the year the NAACP was established largely to outlaw lynching and to agitate for  racial equality, 69 Blacks were lynched.

Black soldiers leaving and returning home were not exempted from that venom; some were spat on as they boarded ships to Europe. Dozens of Black war veterans were lynched, some while wearing their military uniform.

Still, Blacks continued to enlist in droves donning that same uniform bloodied by foreign and domestic strife, to fight for the ideals of a country that failed to fully recognize their sacrifices.

It took two executive orders, Executive Order 8802 signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 and Executive Order 9981 signed by Harry S. Truman in 1948, and the Korean War before the armed services fully integrated.

Jones said that Montford Point Marines and those who  served in wars before them and after are the true American patriots who fought and died to hold the United States to the highest goals of the Declaration of Independence and the goals of the Constitution.

“The African-American patriots, despite being discriminated against, despite the spirit that would degrade them, they would rise superior to it,” Jones said. “They would become true patriots working for the ideal of the American dream when it wasn’t even real.”

Q: What rights do I have if a caseworker comes to my home?

A: Unless the caseworker has a court order, you do not have to allow the caseworker into your house, permit her to talk to your children, sign releases for any of your personal information or consent to any evaluations or tests. You also have a right to have an attorney present when you talk to a caseworker.

Q: What happens if, based on the caseworker’s visit, the agency decides that my children are being neglected or abused?

A: In such a case, the agency may either ask you to work a voluntary case plan, or may file a complaint at juvenile court asking the state to intervene on behalf of your children.

Q: What happens if a complaint is filed against me?

A: A hearing must be held within 72 hours after a complaint is filed. This first hearing is a called a shelter care hearing. At this hearing, the agency must prove to the court that your children should not be returned home. Within 72 hours after the complaint is filed, an adjudicatory hearing must be scheduled. The adjudicatory hearing is a trial at which the agency must prove by “clear and convincing evidence” that the allegations in its complaint are true and rise to the level of abuse, neglect and/or dependency. If your children are found to be abused, neglected or dependent, the court will schedule a dispositional hearing where a case plan will be adopted and the temporary placement of your children will be determined.

Q: Should I get an attorney if a complaint is filed?

A: It would be very wise for you to find an attorney who practices in juvenile court. If an agency files a complaint alleging your children are abused, neglected and/or dependent, and you cannot afford an attorney, the court will appoint an attorney for you if you ask for one.

Q: What is a case plan?

A: The agency prepares a case plan, usually with input from the parents, to help the parents correct the issues that resulted in their children being found to be abused, neglected and/or dependent. A case plan may list objectives such as gaining appropriate employment and/or housing; providing all necessities for the children including education, medical care, food, clothing, and shelter; and resolving any criminal issues. The case plan also may recommend strategies for meeting these objectives, such as psychological assessments, counseling, parenting classes, domestic violence classes, drug and alcohol evaluations and treatment, and anger management classes. These objectives and strategies may apply to the children as well as the parents.

Q: Do my children get an attorney?

A: Counties differ as to determining when or whether an attorney is appointed to represent the children. However, if the court decides that the children are being neglected or abused, then the court will appoint a guardian ad litem (GAL) to determine and represent the best interests of the children. The GAL will also present the children’s wishes to the court. The court-appointed GAL will conduct an independent investigation by interviewing all the parties including the children, caseworkers, and service providers. The GAL will observe interactions between the children and the parents and will review all relevant records pertaining to the children.

Q: How long do I have to complete my case plan so I can get my children back?

A: You initially have approximately one year to complete every objective on your case plan. However, if you and your children’s other parent need more time to complete the case plan, and you have substantially complied by making progress on the objectives, you may request and receive up to two six-month extensions. If you and your spouse are separated and only you have completed everything on the case plan, it is possible for you to receive custody of your children even if you did not have custody when the case began.

This “Law You Can Use” column was provided by the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA). It was prepared by Akron attorney Denise E. Ferguson. Articles appearing in this column are intended to provide broad, general information about the law. Before applying this information to a specific legal problem, readers are urged to seek advice from an attorney.

November is only six short months away, so the 2012 campaign for the White House is moving full-speed ahead.  Because we live in the miracle of this fantastically dizzying digital age with news and information at our fingertips and coming at us from infinite sources; and because more than 274 million Americans are connected to the Internet, you probably won’t be surprised that we have converged upon the Internet for any and all tidbits surrounding the presidential candidates since the beginning of the year.  Even though Mitt Romney is the presumed Republican nominee, I think it’s fascinating to see which candidates attracted the most visitors to their sites.  Don’t you?  Aw, come on, aren’t you a little curious?

Nielsen recently profiled the voter-age audience (18+) to see who was checking out which of the (once upon a time not so long ago) five presidential candidates.  The sample was extensive, covering 15 different sites during January 2012, including: ABCNEWS Digital Network, CBS News Network, CNN Digital Network, Daily Kos, drudgereport.com, Fox News Digital Network, Google News, Huffington Post, MSNBC Digital Network, NPR,  NYTimes.com, Politico, USATODAY.com, Wall Street Journal Digital and Yahoo! News Websites. Any of those among your favorites?

•In January, President Obama’s site received more unique American adult visitors than the four Republican candidates’ sites combined. (“Unique” is defined by web analytics as unduplicated or counting only once to a website over a specified time period, as opposed to “new” or “returning.”)

•Hispanics comprised 17% of MittRomney.com, 37% more Hispanics than were active online during the entire month of January 2012 (12%).

•RickSantorum.com attracted the lion’s share of women visitors (60%), which was the largest male/female split among the candidates.

•Interestingly, 76-year-old Ron Paul, the oldest of the Republican hopefuls, drew the youngest visitors.  More than a third of his hits were from members of the 18-34 group.  Though it was almost neck-and-neck with Newt Gingrich with male visitors, 56% and 51%, respectively, RonPaul2012.com won by 4.3 percentage points.

•Newt Gingrich’s website guests were the most affluent and educated.  Twenty-seven percent reported earnings of more than $100K and half had either a Bachelor’s or Post-Graduate degree.

The analysis of why American voters visit which sites is up to the political pundits.  Part of the research Nielsen conducted also focused on the News & Information sites that feature political content.  Are you surprised to learn that Google News wins the race for the highest concentration of young visitors, those 18-24?  Survey results showed that 23% more 18-34 year olds visited Google News in January 2012 than were active online.   (It is heartening to me to know that our young people are interested, engaged and involved in our political process.  My son is only a few years away from legally casting his first vote.  Sigh.)  More results:

•The next age demographic, Americans 25-49, are most likely to visit Politico and Drudge Report (31%).

•Of all the sites studied, NPR enjoyed the largest growth in visitors (up 21% since October 2011).

•28% of visitors to Wall Street Journal Digital have a household income of $100K or more.

•Surfers who land on the Drudge Report page were most likely to have a Bachelor’s degree, which is more than double the percentage of all active college grad Internet users (36% vs. 17%).

•College graduates were more likely to visit a specific candidate’s site than visit a News & Information site.

I’m always telling you that knowledge is power, and stressing how you wield power as consumers and how important it is that we pick and choose to use that power wisely. Well, I hope you don’t tire of hearing me stress this point. This election is important – no matter which side of the political aisle you may stand on.   Read.  Watch.  Listen.  Learn – so you can make the most informed decision possible.  The choice and power are in your hands.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsenwire.com

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – When parents pull into the parking lot of their child’s school in the morning, drop them off, and wave goodbye, they may also be waving goodbye to their child’s future academic and career success. Research shows that when parents limit their involvement in their child’s education to the front door their schools, they also limit the educational opportunities for their child.

“Research shows that family engagement is one of the leading indicators of academic success,” said Byron Garrett, chair of the National Family Engagement Alliance and former CEO of the National Parent Teacher Association. “So where you see students doing incredibly well you also see their families directly involved in the educational process.”

School children spend more than 70 percent of their time away from the classroom. According to a report by the Michigan Department of Education, when parents are actively engaged in the education process, students achieve higher grades and test scores, and self-esteem and lower rates of drug and alcohol use. Research also shows that school attendance increases and suspensions decrease. Parental involvement also trumps socioeconomic status when it comes to predicting the long-term, academic success of children.

Yet, as the evidence for the importance of parental engagement in the educational process continues to mount over decades, the cost of doing nothing, failing our children and allowing them to dropout is even more significant.

An October 2011 report by the National Center for Education Statistics, found that the average high school dropout drains almost $240,000 from the U.S. economy during their lifetime, because they contribute less in taxes, they use more social services, like Medicaid and welfare programs, and they commit higher rates of crimes.

“The economic impact of children not graduating from school is crippling our economy,” Garrett said.

For some parents, however, coming home to math problems and essays on colonialism may seem overwhelming and unfortunately their children are the most vulnerable in the classroom.

The “Lost Opportunity” report by the Schott Foundation for Public Education found that Black students were more likely  to attend “poorly-resourced, low performing schools  (42 percent),  ” compared to White students (15 percent). White students are more than twice as likely (32 percent) as Black students (15 percent) to have access to “well-resourced, high-performing schools.”

Garrett said,  “In communities of color you find that students are in schools that are under-resourced, with higher concentrations of low-income families. You also find the lowest levels of family engagement for a variety of reasons. So, for a busy parent working two jobs or balancing schedules or a single mom having to navigate a system, even scheduling a [parent-teacher] meeting becomes more complexed.”

Karen Mapp, a lecturer and researcher at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, said that it’s wrong to assume that parents aren’t more involved in their child’s education, because they don’t want to be. Interacting with teachers and school administrators can be intimidating and scary for parents who had limited success in their own academic careers. “A lot of times it’s that they don’t know how and they don’t have the confidence.”

Mapp addressed a mixed audience of parents and educators during a 2012 lecture on student achievement for the GEMS Education company. She suggested that parents focus on building networks with other parents and practice role-playing in different situations to build confidence in talking to their children and the school staff. For their part, school administrators and teachers must learn how to engage parents and build trusting and respectful relationships and expose parents to the various roles that they can play in their child’s education at school and at home.

“My mom was a PTA mom and she went to all the meetings,” Garrett said, but he credited the quality time his parents spent with him at home and the high expectations for success that they instilled in him for making all the difference. “It wasn’t just because they showed up on campus, that was part of it, but it wasn’t the leading factor.”

According to research conducted by Reginald Clark, author of “Family Life and School Achievement: Why Poor Black Children Succeed Or Fail,” when parents expect more from their children their children do better. Conversely when students achieve less, their parents expectations are also lower.

“We need our young people to recognize the value of getting a quality education and how that can help them improve their station in life and pursue their dreams,” Garrett said. “That requires family members, that requires community leaders and organizations, that requires the staff at the school and at the district, and not just the teachers, but all the staff including those bus drivers and cafeteria workers and support staff. It’s a collective effort that all of us have a shared responsibility to ensure that our children get a quality education.”

LOS ANGELES (NNPA) —Rodney Glen King’s apparent accidental death at age 47 has prompted a flood of media punditry about the legacy of a life rife with misfortune. It was young Glen, as he was called, who had discovered his father’s body in the family bathtub. Rodney Sr. reportedly drank himself to death when Rodney Jr. was in high school.

Following his father’s penchant for alcohol, the younger King made a fateful wrong turn at age 25—drinking and driving, and leading Los Angeles police officers on a high-speed chase that thrust him into an ill-fitting celebrity he never wanted or wore very well.

King’s brutal videotaped beating seen around the world years before the advent of YouTube changed the course of his life. It also triggered events that altered how law enforcement and government officials handle complaints of excessive force and police brutality. The initial impact of the beating in March 1991 was to shine light on a dark realm of routine police misconduct in Los Angeles and other cities.

Six days of deadly rioting followed acquittals more than a year later on April 29 of the officers who beat King and led to sweeping reforms of the police department. A heralded commitment to community policing, increased civilian oversight and more enlightened department leadership, including appointment of two Black police chiefs, significantly cooled longstanding tinderbox relations between police and the African-American community.

Less successful in Los Angeles and other cities nationwide has been elimination of the gross stereotyping, or profiling, of young Blacks as dangerous, drunk, drug-crazed ogres who can be controlled only with extreme force.

Twenty years after the Los Angeles rioting, national attention is again focused on a racially-charged assault. This time, an overzealous community watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla., is charged in the shooting death of an unarmed Black teenager, and initial police handling of the case has raised widespread concern.

The King and Martin cases are markedly different in detail, especially in that Sanford police had nothing to do with Martin’s death. But unchanged in two decades is continued use of excessive force by law enforcement officers and others who seek, out of fear, to justify violent and often fatal encounters with black youths and men.

Such professed fear has been a major dynamic in practically every questionable case of excessive police force against young Blacks since the Watts riots of 1965 in Los Angeles. That fear factor played a key role in the King trial defense and in another verdict shortly before the city exploded in anger and violence in April 1992.

The shocking acquittals of the police officers in the King trial came less than two weeks before  Soon Ja Du, 51, a Korean store owner, received a 10-year suspended prison term, probation, a fine and community service for the shooting death of Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old African-American. Du said Harlins was stealing a bottle of orange juice and shot her in the back of the head. The incident was videotaped.

Nine years later, in April 2001, rioting was sparked in Cincinnati when a police officer fatally shot Timothy Thomas, a 19-year-old Black. Five months later, the officer was acquitted.

Like Trayvon Martin, Thomas was unarmed. He was shot while running away from the officer, who was trying to arrest him. Officers in the King beating mounted much of their defense for striking King more than 50 times by saying that the 6-foot-4 King, who weighed more than 200 pounds, refused to obey commands to stay on the ground, and that they feared for their safety.

This week, attorneys for George Zimmerman, the White Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder in Martin’s death, released a police video in which he reenacted what he says happened during the fatal encounter. Zimmerman says he feared for his life after Martin reached for Zimmerman’s gun, and told him, “You’re going to die.”

According to Zimmerman, he shot Martin in self-defense under Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law that gives citizens the right to use deadly force if they fear for their lives.

Martin’s parents contend that Zimmerman was the aggressor and pursued their unarmed son, who was walking home from a convenience store through the gated Sanford community that Zimmerman patrolled. They say Zimmerman racially profiled the teenager, followed and confronted him despite being told not to by a 911 operator whom Zimmerman called to report a suspicious Black man.

Before and after the King beating, there have been numerous incidents of excessive police force against Black men by police officers and others who invoked versions of the fear-factor defense. As recently as 2009, a grisly police assault was captured on videotape in Oakland, Calif. A transit police officer shot and killed Oscar Grant, 22, an unarmed Black shown lying on a train platform at the officer’s feet. The officer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

Ironically, on the day Rodney King died, Black and Latino community leaders gathered at a rally in New York City to protest the city’s stop-and-frisk policy that they say has led to escalated profiling of young Blacks and Latinos, and increasing allegations of excessive force and brutality by New York police officers.

The rally followed a report this year by the New York Civil Liberties Union showing that the New York City Police Department conducted 685,724 stop-and-frisk searches in 2011. More than 86 percent of those targeted by police were Blacks and Latinos.

“What happened to me and what’s happened to others can still happen,” King said in an interview with Ebony magazine in April, shortly before the 20th anniversary of the rioting. “The police are still killing people. I am just glad I was one of those who the camera was on.”

King often said he wanted his epitaph to read: “Can we all just get along?” Nervous and visibly shaken, he spoke those words at a 1992 news conference immediately after rioting erupted.

The answer to his question may well be influenced by the outcome of the expected trial in the Martin shooting. This time, it is not a police officer but a private citizen who took it on himself to patrol the streets to protect his community from what he viewed as potentially dangerous intruders.

How the Sanford Police Department handled that shooting will be as important as actual facts of the case and a verdict. In the King case and others, Blacks felt that their voices and concerns about police misconduct went largely unheeded. When the officers were acquitted even though the videotape clearly seemed to show excessive force, Blacks in Los Angeles took it as one more slap in the face.

Similarly, the Martin family and African-Americans across the nation were outraged that Zimmerman was not arrested immediately and charged. When city officials rejected Police Chief Bill Lee’s offer to resign, the situation was aggravated. Lee, who had stepped aside temporarily in May and was on paid leave, was fired on June 20.

Whatever the outcome, if Sanford’s Black community and African-Americans elsewhere do not believe that the investigation and expected trial were conducted fairly and that Black profiling has been addressed adequately, the answer to Rodney King’s plaintive plea will undoubtedly be, “Not yet.”

Whether Trayvon Martin will become the Rodney King of his generation remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: The ghost of Rodney King will loom large over the trial of George Zimmerman.

Wow! Some black women really need to stop trippin’. That’s the opinion of a young black man in his mid to late thirties let’s call him Jovan. You see, Jovan was at lunch with “a nice looking female co-worker that just happens to be of another race.” We’re havin’ a good time, laughing and eating when her demeanor begins to slowly change, he says. He asks her what’s up and she says that the “constant stares” are startn’ to bug her. He tells his co-worker it’s just her imagination until he says, he looks for himself and confirms that the two of them are indeed receiving disapproving glares. I guess from black women, only.

He says he doesn’t ever think he’s been so “pissed off” and embarrassed, all at the same time. He concludes that he would expect such behavior if they were in “the back woods” of Mississippi but certainly not in Charlotte, North Carolina on the day after the MLK holiday. I know it’s 2012, I really do. Indeed, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, is born of a white mother and black father– we’ve certainly come a long way. Still, is it just me or does anybody else wonder if black folk under forty have ever bothered to consider slavery, the civil rights movement, and the resulting impact on black-male-female relationships? Aren’t they even a little curious about why so many black women disapprove of interracial relationships, especially those between black men and white women, even in 2012? I can only assume that Jovan’s lunch companion was white although I realize she may have not have been. Don’t these 30 year-olds understand why such negative feelings and behaviors persist? Don’t they care just a little; if not why not?

I’m no psychologist but in her book The Best Kind of Loving – A Black Woman’s Guide to Intimacy (Harper Perennial, 1995) – noted psychologist Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant explains that “plantation psychology” still resides in the psyche of both black men and women. I believe this kind of thinking goes a long way in explaining this brother’s anger and embarrassment, about the stares he received from black women, while having lunch with a woman who wasn’t. Is it possible that others were staring too, but that he was most focused and upset about the behavior of black women?

In the book – Dr. Grant, who has explored the most explosive issues that arise between black men and women, warns that unless black folk are careful they will continue to play out these destructive kinds of “plantation” thinking patterns. I agree. This is the kind of thinking which, results in a divide and conquer mentality, finger pointing, blaming, and even hatred in personal relationships.

Instead of anger and blaming – which by the way are common imitators of fear – I beg these questions: why is this brother pissed off, and why, especially, is he embarrassed? Who is he angry at, embarrassed of, and why is he embarrassed about folks he doesn’t even know personally? This is far too complex for me to explain, and again I’m no expert. Dr. Grant’s brook, however, provides a sound perspective and is an excellent read for both men and women.

As a black woman who promotes love, respect and understanding among and between all people and genders, I will says this – after many years of mostly positive, joy filled relationships and few with a lot of pain – understanding of self first, then others, is key to abundant living. Another look at relationships between black men and women reveals that anger is often a mask for past hurts, disappointments, rejection and fear. I’d bet Jovan and all of those who felt a need to fix their eyes on him and his co-worker have experienced the same.

In general black women are fiercely loyal to, and even protective of, black men. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there were just as many, if not more, older black women glaring at these co-workers, as younger ones. Black history is no mystery. I’m simply saying that it’s good for Jovan and others who feel the way he does to know their history and why people behave the way they do. With it comes more love, understanding and reconciliation. By the way we can’t control who stares at us and who doesn’t, so why get heated?  Without a doubt, love is stronger than hate but why hate the haters? Love always wins. Instead of anger and embarrassment I suggest thinking about the best all black women have to offer, not the worst. It may not be easy; but it’s simpler than we think. That’s my stance I’d like to know yours.

Stephanie Anderson Phelps

a Women’s Advocacy Journalist and Host of Another Look — Time Warner Cable, NEON Channel 23

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) is wrapping up National Safety Month with tips for preventing some of the most common workplace injuries.  BWC claims data show that more than 60-percent of Ohio’s lost-time injury claims in 2010 were caused by preventable slips, trips and falls and overexertion.

“Preventing the most common injuries can be as simple as maintaining good house-keeping practices, using slip resistant shoes, eliminating lifting tasks and training employees on proper lifting techniques,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer.  “Attentive employers can make a few minor changes at minimal cost that can significantly increase safety in the workplace and provide the added benefits of healthy, productive workers and lower workers’ compensation premiums.”

Thirty percent of lost-time injury claims result from slips, trips and falls. They are largely associated with slipping on ice/snow, water/grease and tripping over objects. Overexertion is a cause associated with more than 30 percent of all lost-time injury claims, mostly related to lifting, pushing and pulling, bending and twisting, repetitive motions, and awkward postures. Fifty-four percent of lost-time injury claims resulting from overexertion are associated with lifting and pushing and pulling tasks.

There are several simple solutions that can prevent injuries caused by slips, trips and falls:

Establish good house-keeping practices;

Fix poor lighting;

Keep floors and stairs clean and free of objects;

Clean slippery surfaces (wet, oily, icy)  regularly;

Cover hoses and cords or run them out of the path of walking areas;

Don’t allow aisles to become cluttered;

Establish a procedure for regularly sweeping granular or powdered material;

Wear slip resistant footwear;

Repair uneven surfaces (such as cracks or holes).

Solutions to preventing injuries caused by overexertion include:

Reduce forceful exertions;

o   Reduce manual material handling and eliminate manual lifting by using convey­ors, hoists, lift-assist devices, lift gates on trucks, and other mechanical means;

Reduce the weight of objects to be lifted;

Lift with the legs not the back;

Use handles on objects to be lifted;

Reduce the frequency and distances of lifts;

Bend the tool, not the wrist;

Minimize reaching. Locate frequently used items as close to you as possible;

Reduce mechanical pressure on soft tissues;

o   Add padding to tools;

o   Use cushioned chairs;

o   Use floor mats.

BWC safety consultants provide on-site services to help implement injury-prevention solutions like these in Ohio workplaces.  Employers can visit ohiobwc.com or call 1-800-OHIOBWC to request the services of a safety consultant at no additional cost.

Zimmerman, whose bond was initially set at $150,000, was released on $1 million bond, which required a 10 percent payment of $100,000.  Because he had already put up $15,000 to get out of jail in April, Zimmerman only had to pay an additional $85,000. The former neighborhood watch captain has received more than $200,000 in donations through a personal Web site. He raised $20,000 in the 24-hour hour period after his bond was set on Thursday.

Trayvon Martin, had gone to a nearby convenience store to make a purchase and was returning to a town house he was visiting with his father on Feb. 26 when he  was shot to death shortly after 7 p.m. The high school junior from Miami Gardens, Fla. was unarmed and was carrying only a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona Tea.

Zimmerman had called 9-1-1 to report a “suspicious” Black male in the gated community. He confirmed that he was following Martin on the rainy Sunday night, but the dispatcher told Zimmerman.  “OK, we don’t need you to do that.” He ignored that directive, got into a fight later with Martin, and killed him with a single shot to the chest from his 9 mm semi-automatic pistol.

Zimmerman was taken in for questioning but was released five hours later after he claimed the right to self-defense under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. He remained free until the special prosecutor in the case, under intense public pressure, filed a second-degree murder charge against him on April 11. Zimmerman turned himself in to police and was immediately placed under arrest.

On April 20, Zimmerman was granted bond and was released from jail three days later. His bail was revoked after it was discovered that he and his wife had lied about his ability to post bond. Zimmerman’s bond was raised from $150,000 to $1 million, which was quickly met.

He was released from jail at 2:49 p.m. Friday. Accompanied by two men, one of whom was his bondsman, Zimmerman was dressed in a white dress shirt, a jacket and no tie. The men left in a waiting SUV.

“He is very happy to be out. It’s been a very sobering experience spending the last month in jail,” Don West, one of Zimmerman’s attorneys, told reporters.

In New Orleans to attend a seminar at the Essence Music Festival, Sybrina Fulton, the slain teenager’s mother, said, “Just to know that the killer of my son may walk free some time one day, it really hurts.”

The judge granted Zimmerman  bond a second time after citing the state constitution that says: “Unless charged with a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment and the proof of guilt is evident and the presumption great, every person charged with a crime or a violation of municipal or county ordinance shall be entitled to pretrial release on reasonable conditions.”

Despite relying on the Florida constitution and legal precedents as the basis for his decision, Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. made it clear in his 8-page, strongly-worded order setting bail that he was convinced that Zimmerman  had been planning to flee the country in order to avoid prosecution.

At his bond hearing on April 20, Zimmerman’s lawyers portrayed their client as indigent and made no mention of the amount of money Zimmerman had received.

In a motion to revoke Zimmerman’s bond for misleading the court, the prosecutor stated, “The Credit Union statements shown on 4/19/2012, the day before the Bond Hearing, Defendant and his wife had access to over $135,00.00. Defendant has intentionally deceived the Court with the assistance of his wife…”

The motion also recalled, “Defendant’s family members misinformed the Court (the State would use a much stronger and accurate word to describe what occurred –Defendant’s wife lied to the Court) about Defendant and his family finances.”

Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie, was later arrested and charged with one count of perjury. She was released on $1,000 bond.

“Contrary to the image presented by the Defendant not by evidence but only by argument of counsel, it appears to this Court that the Defendant is manipulating the system to his own benefit,” Judge Lester wrote. “The evidence is clear that the Defendant and his wife acted in concert, but primarily at the Defendant’s direction, to conceal their cash holdings. They spoke in rudimentary code to conceal the true amount of money they were dealing with.”

The judge added, “The Defendant also neglected to disclose that he had a valid second passport in his safe deposit box. Notably, together with the passport, the money only had to be hidden for a short time for him to leave the country if the Defendant made a quick decision to flee. It is entirely reasonable for the Court to find that, but for the requirement that he be placed on electronic monitoring, the Defendant and his wife would have fled the United States with at least of $130,000 of other people’s money.”

Later in the decision, Judge Lester repeated his view that Zimmerman was plotting to flee.

“Although there is no record of flight to avoid prosecution, the Court finds that circumstances indicate that the Defendant was preparing to flee to avoid prosecution, but such plans were thwarted,” the judge wrote in his bail order.

Judge Lester observed that Zimmerman had taken courses in criminal justice with the intention of becoming a police officer, an attorney, a judge or a magistrate like his father. In addition, Zimmerman had been arrested before and had completed a pre-trial intervention program. Zimmerman had also filed an injunction and had an injunction filed against him.

“Thus, before this tragic incident, the Defendant had a very sophisticated knowledge of the criminal justice system over and above that of the average, law-abiding citizen,” the judge wrote.

As an example of Zimmerman’s attempt to manipulate judicial proceedings, Judge Lester noted, “The Defendant chose as a matter of strategy, after consultation with his attorney, to not personally take the stand and testify under oath to give an explanation concerning the presentation of false testimony. The Defendant requested special treatment to carve out an exception as to when a Defendant is allowed to exercise the right of allocution.

“The Defendant, through counsel, requested the right to make a statement but not be subject to cross examination. The Court denied the Defendant’s request and the defendant chose not to testify rather than be subject to cross examination.”

Among the conditions set for bail, Zimmerman will be subjected to electronic monitoring at his expense, he can’t leave Seminole County, Fla. without prior authorization of the court, he is forbidden from opening up or maintaining a bank account, he must report to the county’s pre-release department every 48 hours and he must observe a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

“Under any definition, the Defendant has flouted the system,” Judge Lester wrote. “Counsel has attempted to portray the Defendant as a confused young man who was fearful and experienced a moment of weakness and who may have also acted out of a sense of ‘betrayal’ by the system. Based upon all the evidence presented, this court finds the opposite. The Defendant has tried to manipulate the system when he has been presented the opportunity to do so.”