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Posts tagged as “Florida”

Florida Boys Isiah Francis, 10 and Jeremiah Grimes, 11, Rescue Babies from Neighbor's Burning Home

By goodblacknews on June 17, 2015

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Isiah Francis (r.), 10, and Jeremiah Grimes (l.), 11, were hailed heroes after they ran into a burning mobile home and rescued a 1-year-old and an 8-month-old (photo via nydailynews.com)
Two Florida boys didn’t think twice when they saw their neighbor’s house burning Tuesday morning.  Isiah Francis, 10, and Jeremiah Grimes, 11, of Orange County, were playing outside when they saw the fire raging inside a mobile home. They said they knew children lived there.The homeowner was dousing the fire with water when the boys say they ran inside.
“I was really scared because I thought I was going to get burned,” said Isiah, who dreams of being a firefighter. “I was nervous because there was so much smoke it was hard for me to see.”
The boys rescued a 1-year-old and an 8-month-old by tucking the babies under their arms and running outside.  The homeowner told the boys there were no more children inside — possibly to keep them safe — but firefighters also rescued a 2 year old and a 5 year old from the burning home. They were both in critical yet stable condition.
Orange County investigators suspect a cook stove ignited the blaze, but they haven’t confirmed their suspicion nor determined another cause of the fire.
Isiah said he is still determined to become a firefighter.
“Even though I have to go through all this hard work, I still want to be one,” he said.
article by Annika Harris via uptownmagazine.com

Natalie McGriff, 7, Wins $16,423 for Writing Comic Book About her Afro Puffs

By goodblacknews on April 21, 2015

Seven Year Girl Wins $16,423
“The Adventures of Moxie Girl” writer Natalie McGriff

Seven-year-old Natalie McGriff earned $16,423.69 in prize money for creating her comic book “The Adventures of Moxie Girl” at Jacksonville, FL’s One Spark, touted as the world’s largest crowdfunding festival.
McGriff’s comic book revolves around the life of a little Black girl who hated her hair texture. After using some magical shampoo, the little girl’s afro-puffs are activated with super powers that helped save the Jacksonville Public Libraries from being eaten by monsters.
McGriff’s mother, Angie Nixon, helped her daughter write her comic book “because she was having self-esteem issues regarding her hair and she hated to read.”
“She now realizes how powerful and awesome her hair is and that in order for her to write a cool book, she needs to read more books and learn different words,” she continued.
Over 530 projects competed for One Spark 2015, and 300,000 people attended the festival. McGriff was the winner of the Education category; there were 117,169 votes cast by attendees. One Spark is a five-day festival and one-day Speaker Summit. Creators from six categories (Art, Education, Health & Science, Music, Social Good and Technology) explain their projects to a crowd of over 250,000 people and are able to experience the crowdfunding for their project in person. The attendees contribute to crowdfunding campaigns and vote to distribute $150,000 of the guaranteed $350,000 in awards.
article by Lauren R.D. Fox via madamenoire.com

Davion Only's Quest for a Family Finally Ends When Connie Bell Going, His Case Worker, Adopts Him

By goodblacknews on April 18, 2015

In October of 2013, 16-year-old Davion Only stood in front of a church in St. Petersburg, Florida with one request— for someone to adopt him.

“My name is Davion and I’ve been in foster care since I was born. I know God hasn’t given up on me. So I’m not giving up either.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnU7b577Faw&w=560&h=315]
His request to find a family was picked up by a local news station and more than 10,000 people from around the country responded.  Unfortunately, after a brief stint at a home in Ohio with a potential adopter, he went back to Florida and was placed in four different homes over the next year.

(Image Credit: Instagram)

But that all changed last July when he called a woman he’d known since he was seven— his case worker, Connie Bell Going.
According to Yahoo! Parenting, Only would ask Going every year to adopt him, but she always believed there was a better family out there for him.
Something in her heart changed, though, when he made the request again last summer. She explained:

“In adoption there is a ‘claiming moment,’ when you know [someone is] your child. When he called me to ask, in that moment, I just knew.”

So after a successful test run with her family — she has two daughters and a son whom she adopted out of foster care — Going started the adoption proceedings for Only.

(Image Credit: Twitter)

On April 22, 2015, the adoption proceedings will be finalized and Only will officially have a forever family.

“Today, I am feeling blessed and honored by being chosen to be the parent to all my children,” she said. “I work every day on being the best parent I can to them, to be patient and creative so that I can meet all their needs.”

Only is over the moon about his new family, and always believed Going to be his mom. He told her:

“I guess I always thought of you as my mom. Only now I get to call you that for real, right?”

(Image Credit: Twitter)

And Going feels exactly the same way.

“When he asked me, my heart felt this ache and I just knew he was my son,” she said. 

After years of moving from place to place — never having anything to call his own — Only is finally home.

article by Amanda Ghessie via ijrreview.com

Marissa Alexander Finally Released From Jail

By goodblacknews on January 27, 2015
Marissa Alexander walks by her dad Raoul Jenkins and surrounded by her legal team and supporters after her sentencing in Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 27, 2015. (Photo by Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union/AP)
Marissa Alexander walks by her dad Raoul Jenkins and surrounded by her legal team and supporters after her sentencing in Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 27, 2015. (Photo by Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union/AP)

Marissa Alexander, the Florida mother whose case became a rallying cry for anti-racism activists and survivors of domestic violence, was released today after three years of incarceration.

Alexander had faced up to 60 years behind bars for firing a single shot near her abusive husband, unable to convince a jury she had feared for her life. A hearing Tuesday confirmed the terms: Having pleaded guilty to assault in exchange for credit for time served, she will be subject to two years of electronic monitoring and house arrest, except for approved appointments and employment.
Circuit Court Judge James Daniel acknowledged that the case had drawn national attention but claimed his decision was “not based on any public opinion of any larger issue of public interest or social concern, but on the specific facts of the case.”
Alexander’s case has long sparked outrage about the unequal application of the law for both black Americans and women. Alexander was prosecuted by Angela Corey, who was also the prosecutor in the trial of George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the February 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin. Corey did not appear at Tuesday’s hearing.
“We are thrilled that Marissa will finally be reunited with her children, her family, and her community,” said Sumayya Coleman, co-lead of the Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign. “Today’s hearing revealed that Alexander intends to attend school to become a paralegal and she is a wonderful mother to her children who urgently need her. Amazingly, the State continued their campaign of punishment by trying to add two more years of probation.” But the state didn’t get its way.
In November, Alexander pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault with a weapon in exchange for credit for time served. A second trial had been planned for December, when Corey had planned to seek a 60-year sentence, triple the 20-year sentence Alexander got in her first trial.
The Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign and The Monument Quilt wrote on Facebook that “350 quilt squares containing stories from survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault will blanket the Duval County Courthouse lawn to let Jacksonville and the world know Marissa is NOT ALONE.” A fundraiser on Alexander’s behalf exceeded its goals, raising $58,297 from 1,122 backers on the site GoGetFunding.
“We have always believed that forcing Marissa to serve even one day in prison represents a profound and systemic attack on black women’s right to exist and all women’s right to self-defense,” the Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign said in a statement after Alexander’s plea deal.
The incident in question took place in 2010, nine days after Alexander, now 34, gave birth to a daughter. Alexander testified that her estranged husband, Rico Gray, had physically abused her several times and that on that day, he threatened to kill her. No one was injured, but a jury convicted her in about 12 minutes.
article by Irin Carmon via msnbc.com

Jamal Rutledge, 17, To Be Honored for Saving Life Of Arresting Officer

By goodblacknews on January 15, 2015
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Jamal Rutledge (pictured center) will be honored by the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida police department for helping to save the life of Officer Franklin Foulks, who arrested him last September.  Thanks to the 17-year-old boy’s quick thinking, Foulks is alive today, according to CBS News.
While Foulks was processing Rutledge’s arrest for violating juvenile probation, he suddenly fell ill and collapsed. Without waiting one precious minute, Rutledge, who was handcuffed, began kicking the security fence while yelling out to anyone within hearing reach that Foulks needed immediate help.
Three officers who were nearby just happened to hear Rutledge’s ruckus and responded.  The trio administered CPR and used a defibrillator in order to electronically jump start Foulks’ heart.

According to Ft. Lauderdale police, the medical personnel that tended to Foulks noted that had it not been for Rutledge’s quick thinking and the officers’ actions, Foulks might not have survived the heart-related incident he suffered on the job.

Rutledge and the three officers will be honored at a ceremony that will take place on January 20.
article by Ruth Manuel-Logan via newsone.com

Jahvaris Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s Brother, Celebrates Graduating From College

By goodblacknews on December 18, 2014

Jahvaris Fulton and Tracy Martin
Jahvaris Fulton and Tracy Martin (Source: Twitter)

According to blackenterprise.com, Jahvaris Fulton, the older brother of slain Sanford, Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, recently graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology.
Fulton, 22, has made the best of his opportunities since losing his little brother to violence. Prior to graduating, Jahvaris served as a congressional intern for Florida Representative Frederica Wilson.
Wilson, a founder of 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, also counts Fulton as a member who helped to encourage at-risk in Miami-Dade schools to stay in school.
Recently, Jahvaris and Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, spoke on CNN’s Anderson Cooper show to highlight the wide breadth of miscommunication that exists between persons of color and white America. “It’s not happening to them, so they don’t quite get it,” she told Cooper in an interview that aired Friday. “They don’t quite understand. They think that it’s a small group of African Americans that’s complaining: ‘Oh, what are they complaining about now?’”
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Tracy Martin, Jahvaris Fulton and Sybrina Fulton (Source: Twitter)

 
This week, however, was all about celebrating Jahvaris’ success in higher academia. The exciting news was confirmed via Twitter, with many attendees tweeting their congrats.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

7 Year-Old Violinist Leah Flynn on Mission to Share Her Music & Inspire Other Children (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on November 16, 2014
Listen Up: 7-Year-Old Violinist on a Mission
From JetMag.com:
Like the late, great Whitney Houston so beautifully sang: We believe the children are our future.  To that end, JET introduces you to Leah Flynn…a sweet, caring young violinist who wants to use her talents to improve the world around her.
Taking a break from her evening routine of violin lessons taught by her dad, seven-year-old, Leah Flynn energetically tells JET, “I want to go on national shows and play for millions of people so lots of children can see me play, then maybe they want to play an instrument!”
She’s ambitious and determined on her musical mission.
Practicing violin since she was five, Leah has performed in front of various audiences ranging from senior centers to churches located around her family’s Florida home.  Her biggest audience thus far: during an appearance on the TV show, Good Day Orlando.
If you wonder what gives her the strength to show off her skills at a young age, her approach  to overcoming nerves is simple, “All I do is take a deep breath and just focus on my violin while I’m playing.”
Leah’s  music is more than a hobby, it’s a way of providing inspiration and a healing mechanism for the soul.
Growing up near the area where the devastating killing of Trayvon Martin took place and, most recently, watching from afar the unrest unfolding in Ferguson, Missouri, Leah confided something in her parents, Paula and Lennox Flynn.
She told them she wanted to offer those who suffered the soothing sound of violin strings.  “Leah said, ‘Mommy, people are so sad and it’s not a good thing,” Paula Flynn recalls.
That conversation led to her father, a musician himself who started Leah on the piano, to teach her “Let There Be Peace On Earth,” so she could play for local residents.  The pint-sized player hopes to perform for the Governor of Missouri and the people of Ferguson.
But while she waits for that opportunity, nothing is holding the energetic violinist back. She’s currently practicing Christmas carols to share with listening ears throughout the holiday season.
And JET wants to do our part to get her a national audience. Watch her performance of favorite song,”Let It Go” from the popular movie, “Frozen”.  Enjoy and be sure to keep Miss Leah on your radar!

Read more: http://www.jetmag.com/news/leah-flynn-seven-year-old-violinist-mission/#ixzz3JHHhCHSi

NFL: Jacksonville Jaguar Red Bryant Tackles Learning Disabilities By Sharing his Story with Students

By goodblacknews on October 27, 2014

Jacksonville Jaguar Red Bryant Speaking to R.L. Brown Elementary School’s GRASP Choice Academy
Jacksonville Jaguar Red Bryant speaking to R.L. Brown Elementary School’s GRASP Choice Academy

Red Bryant is giving back in the best way possible… a meaningful one. The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end is speaking to students not about his battles on the football field, but about his personal battle with dyslexia (a medical condition that causes difficulty in language processing and reading), inspiring and empowering students with learning disabilities along the way.
Diagnosed by the third grade, Red had to overcome his own frustrations and challenges as a student to make it to college and eventually the NFL.  Fortunately for Red he had a mentor in his high school teacher, Sue Brooks.  Sue played a pivotal role in Red’s life and was one of the first people that helped him realize just because he learned differently didn’t mean he was not intelligent.  It’s a powerful message that children and adults with learning disabilities need to hear.  He shared this message when he visited students at R.L. Brown Elementary School’s GRASP Choice Academy, a program in the Duval County school system that focuses on children with learning disabilities. Red spoke about his personal challenges with dyslexia.

“I just wanted to let these kids know that it’s okay to learn differently and that just because you’re a different learner than everyone else, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t smart,”  Bryant said.

He feels that this program in the Duval County school system is giving children the necessary tools to be successful in the classroom.
Bryant’s own connection to the education system runs deep. Sue Brooks had an incredible impact on his life and now he is giving back.  The story is a fascinating one.  When one person takes the time and energy to lift, push, encourage and nurture a child the effects can be life altering and astounding.  Sue and Red had a bond that led her to help him not only during the recruitment process, but with getting to college and the ACT test.  Sue figured out a way to verbally administer the test by getting the clearance to read it to him after several traditional tests had negative results that weren’t indicative of Red’s academic prowess.  She was an integral part of Red’s success and always encouraging education and inspiring him to pay it forward.
Bryant plans on making frequent stops by the classrooms to monitor the children’s progression throughout the school year.
To watch the engaging Red Bryant speaking to students, click here:
http://www.jaguars.com/media-gallery/videos/Red-Bryant-in-the-Community-/bda579f5-7279-4bd5-ba01-5199c59bf3e5 
Did you know….
Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and that one in five people suffer from it. Learn more:
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-dyslexia
For more information about the GRASP Choice Academy program:
http://www.duvalschools.org/grasp

by Lesa Lakin GBN Lifestyle/Sports Editor
by Lesa Lakin
GBN Lifestyle/Sports Editor

 

CEOs Mellody Hobson and Judy Smith to Speak at 10th Annual Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit

By goodblacknews on October 15, 2014

The anticipation continues for Black Enterprise’s 10th Annual Women of Power Summit, where power women across the nation will convene for three days of fellowship and networking. Added to the list of keynote speakers is the president of Ariel Investments L.L.C., Mellody Hobson, and the inspiration for Scandal‘s Olivia Pope, Judy Smith.
Hobson worked her way up from intern at Ariel Investments L.L.C. to president of the Chicago investment firm. Ariel is known as one of the largest African American-owned money management and mutual fund companies in the United States. In addition to her role as president, Hobson serves as chairman of the board of trustees for Ariel Investment Trust.
REGISTER TODAY: Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary in Florida for 2015
Aside from her work at Ariel, Hobson is chairman of Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc., as well as the director of The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. and Starbucks Corp. Hobson is nationally recognized as a financial expert and has contributed her expertise in investments to the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Black Enterprise, and ABC’s Good Morning America. In 2010 she earned a spot on Black Enterprise‘s 75 Most Powerful Women in Business list, and in 2013 she was announced as one of Black Enterprise‘s Most Powerful Corporate Directors.
Smith, recognized by many as the real-life Olivia Pope, Smith has paved a career for herself as an author, television producer, and CEO of the crisis management firm Smith & Co.  Prior to founding Smith & Co., the Washington, D.C., native served in several high-profile roles including partner at a few Washington, D.C.-based nonprofits, and a White House position as special assistant and deputy press secretary to former President George H. W. Bush. She later broke into television as senior vice president of Corporate Communications at NBC, just to name a few.
Her work in crisis management for many notable cases including Monica Lewinsky, actor Wesley Snipes, and NFL player Michael Vick caught the attention of screenwriter and director Shonda Rhimes, who developed the popular television drama Scandal inspired by Smith’s work. Serving as co-executive producer of the show, Smith offers expert advice and insights on how to portray crisis management issues on-screen.
With exemplary resumes that have catapulted them to become nationally recognized businesswomen, Mellody Hobson and Judy Smith will offer advice and business tips on how to take charge of your career at Black Enterprise’s Women of Power Summit.
The 10th Annual Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit hosted by State Farm, March 2–4, 2015, will be held at Fort Lauderdale Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, FL. This executive leadership summit is designed to train, equip and encourage women to become industry leaders, learn career strategies, and discover proven work–life balance techniques. Register Now! http://www.blackenterprise.com/wps
article by Courtney Connley via blackenterprise.com

Estella Pyfrom's "Brilliant Bus": a State of the Art Mobile Learning Center that Helps Underserved Students Learn Technology

By goodblacknews on August 26, 2014
Estella Brilliant Bus

If Estella Pyfrom looks familiar, it’s because she was recognized last year as a CNN Hero, a honor she received for the humanitarian genius behind her Brilliant Bus initiative, which really is quite brilliant.
Pyfrom, a retired 50-year veteran of Florida’s Palm Beach County School District, didn’t have any training in technology before she realized students in her district lacked the digital know-how to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce.  “The minute I decided that [in retirement] I wanted to continue what I was doing for 50 years [as a school administrator], I knew I needed to be creative, and I needed to understand it,” Pyfrom said in a phone interview.
So Pyfrom, who is now 76, brushed up on her tech skills in 2009 and emptied her pension to build a non-profit, state-of-the-art mobile learning center called Project Aspiration, which was later renamed Estella’s Brilliant Bus. She’s been offering free tutoring to students since 2011.
Students who were among the winners of the #YESWECODE Hackathon at the 2014 ESSENCE Festival for their GlucoReader app rode from Florida to New Orleans on Estella’s Brilliant Bus, and Pyfrom takes great pride in her affiliation with the winners.
And that’s just one of many success stories tied to Pyfrom and her work. She spoke to us about what’s next for her organization.
ESSENCE: Why did you decide to launch your Brilliant Bus?
Estella Pyfrom: I started Brilliant Bus in an effort to expose kids to technology. I became passionate about technology when I realized that it would give kids so much exposure and different ways to connect with the world. I also just looked at what was going on in the community.  When I was building my curriculum, I coordinated with area schools so that I could correlate what I was doing on the bus with what students were doing at school.  I started working with kids at day care centers, churches, schools and community centers, and I ended up being able to offer a program for kids at all levels to prepare them for standardized tests, readiness tests and GED tests.

ESSENCE: What’s special about this method of teaching?
EP: Not only is it unique and innovative, it’s an idea that works. The Brilliant Bus is customized and I built it from scratch. The bus is a mobile learning lab and it can do whatever a classroom can do. Instead of kids who live in undeserved neighborhoods finding me, I am able to take the learning to the neighborhoods.

ESSENCE: What do your students tell you is their favorite part of the Brilliant Bus?
EP: Kids will do anything to get out of the classroom. They say it’s like going on a field trip. One of the good things they tell me is that the activities [on the bus] are so much in sync with what they are doing in the classroom and that it’s a good supplement. Everything that I do with kids on the bus is grade and age level appropriate.

ESSENCE: What’s next for the bus? How will you expand on it?
EP: Brilliant Bus isn’t just a bus; it’s a movement. We plan on building these clubs in various communities. We’re conducting surveys now so that we can move beyond coding and into Robotics. We are going to get really creative with science and math so we can build robots.
Don’t forget to follow the #YESWECODE conversation on Twitter and keep up with Estella’s Brilliant Bus on Facebook.
article via essence.com