Author: Carma Henry

Parsons, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015, had scaled back his professional commitments in recent years due to complications from the disease.

NNPA NEWSWIRE — On May 16, we will be closing our childcare centers for a day — signaling a crisis that could soon sweep across North Carolina, dismantling the very backbone of our economy

        Whooping cough continues to surge in the United States, with reported cases soaring to more than 32,000 this year – nearly five times the 6,500 cases recorded during the same period last year – marking the highest levels in a decade.

       Approximately 1 million taxpayers will automatically receive special payments of up to $1,400 from the IRS in the coming weeks. The money will be directly deposited into eligible people’s bank accounts or sent in the mail by a paper check.

More than 2 million kids in the state could again miss out on the SUN Bucks program, or summer EBT, if the Florida Department of Children and Families doesn’t tell the federal government by Jan. 1 that it plans to administer it, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.

       However, while we can be credited for many of the greatest parts of modern culture, we often fail to recognize how our hardships have affected our physical, mental, and emotional health as individuals and families. It has become the norm for us to ignore “signs of weakness” and uphold this narrative of a strong Black man or woman. While this seems like no big deal in your personal life, this can and has become detrimental to the advancement of Black people when passed from generation to generation. However, in 2025 and beyond, we will address and break these common generational cycles so that every generation after us is closer to positive health in all aspects.

        Mark your calendars, music lovers! Pompano Beach Arts is thrilled to announce Jazz Fest Pompano Beach will return to the City’s beautiful shore on January 24th and 25th, 2025. This 4th annual festival promises to be bigger and tastier than ever before, featuring a stellar lineup of renowned jazz musicians including Joshua Redman & Gabrielle Cavassa, Judith Hill, Randy Brecker, and Jazz Funk Soul alongside a vibrant new food court with a New Orleans flavor! This free festival will once again be hosted by Mark Ruffin of Sirius XM’s Real Jazz. There is no charge for General Admission tickets but registration is required. There are a limited number of VIP Seats at  $200 for a 2-day pass. Complete details at www.pompanobeacharts.org/jazzfest. 

     In last year’s column, I wrote about three childhood moments that created me as a person – or informed me that I had changed, moved forward in the process of becoming. These were moments of self-awareness. Gosh! I had no idea such a thing existed, but there I was at age six, playing “Red Rover” on my elementary-school playground with a bunch of other kids and I realized: I was part of something bigger than myself; I wasn’t alone. Run and play, laugh and love! It’s called “community” (I later learned).

2025: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

     FAMU’s Marching 100 Band took the title for the Division 1 category when it beat last year’s champions, the North Carolina A&T State University Blue & Gold Marching Machine, on Dec. 13.