Author: Carma Henry

        As Christian nationalism, the political right and Trump-mania seem to tighten their grip on the country, maybe now is the time for me to take a deep dig into the complex preciousness of . . . life itself.

        The International Criminal Court’s recent issuance of arrest warrants to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza has stirred up a considerable backlash. Dismissing the charges as “absurd and false,” Netanyahu announced that Israel would “not recognize the validity” of the ICC’s action. U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the arrest warrants as “outrageous,” while the French government, after agreeing to support them, reversed its stance.

       But I am not talking about the victorious WW2 Allied forces and the cumulative actions up to May 14, 1948 that resulted in the forcible re-establishment of the state of Israel; I speak now of the Romans, in the year 135 CE, when they evicted the Jewish people from their ancestral homeland of Judea and bequeathed the newly designated land of Palestine Syria to the Jew’s even-then-arch enemy, a people known as the Philistines.

A robust delegation of administrators joined Florida A&M University (FAMU) Interim President Timothy L. Beard, recruiters, and student ambassadors in St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Orlando, Florida, to engage with high school and transfer students during the highly anticipated Florida Blue Florida Classic weekend. The trip marked the culmination of the 2024 Presidential Recruitment Tour. Recruiters representing FAMU’s 14 schools and colleges introduced prospective students to the benefits of a FAMU degree as the community prepared to enjoy the pageantry of the Florida Classic game and events.

       The Equality Means Business Award recognizes businesses that are courageously, passionately and unwaveringly committed to moving the LGBTQ+ community closer to full equality and businesses that have adopted comprehensive non-discrimination policies and demonstrate their commitment to valuing and pro-actively including all employees. Holy Cross Health was the only business in Broward County to be honored this year.

    Rico Carty, who on the 1970 National League batting title when he led the major leagues while hitting .366 for the Atlanta Braves, has died. He was 85.

 Cole, one of the most important chroniclers of apartheid-era South Africa, was by then mostly forgotten and penniless. Banned by his native country after the publication of his pioneering photography book House of Bondage, Cole had emigrated in 1966 to the United States. But his life in exile gradually disintegrated into intermittent homelessness. A six-paragraph obituary in The New York Times ran alongside a list of death notices.

Forty-two years after its release, “Thriller” remains the gold standard in music, with achievements unmatched and an influence that continues to shape the world.

       After long, hard days of work, the men of the neighborhood gathered under that tree. They weren’t in a rush, and they weren’t looking for anything fancy—just a place to sit, share, and connect. Some leaned back on benches or rested on milk crates. Others huddled over checkerboards perched on overturned buckets, strategizing their next move like generals at war.

       The Pepsi National Battle of the Bands (NBOTB) is proud to announce the airing of “The Legacy of HBCU Marching Bands,” a film that pays tribute to the rich heritage and ongoing legacy of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) marching bands. This vibrant showcase will feature the performances of eight premier bands from the 2023 Pepsi National Battle of the Bands.