Author: Carma Henry

The Community Foundation of Broward and Business for the Arts Broward are proud to debut a new “Lead with Love” mural by visionary artist Cey Adams, a featured attraction in Pompano Beach at Kelly’s Chemicals, 135 NE 1st Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33060. This colorful and engaging work of art is the fifth mural in collaboration between the Community Foundation, Business for the Arts Broward and Adams to create nine love-themed murals that foster inspiration, unity and leadership in communities across Broward

       For decades, it stood not just as a business site, but as a living testament to vision, sacrifice, and service. Today, it is preparing to become Boulevard Gardens, a 93-unit affordable senior housing development. But long before blueprints and groundbreaking ceremonies, this land carried a different kind of blueprint, one drawn by the hands and hearts of Willie and Loretta London.

        In what is quickly shaping into a political storm with far-reaching consequences, the proposed redistricting efforts by Ron DeSantis, combined with the resignation of Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, have set the stage for a high-stakes battle that echoes the aftermath of the passing of Alcee Hastings.

       Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation (SB 1134) banning local governments from funding or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, with local officials who are found to have violated the law subject to removal from office.

Two seniors from Hampton University’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications are heading to Washington after earning one of journalism’s most competitive honors. Christin Fluellen (left) and Jade Abu Bakr (right) have been named recipients of White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) scholarships.

     There comes a quiet moment in life when you begin to understand something important: not every comment needs a response, not every opinion deserves your attention, and not every voice should carry weight in your spirit. Some shade simply isn’t worth standing under, especially when it comes from a tree that bears no fruit.

    The rising spiral of world military spending provides a striking example of how highly national governments value armed forces. In 2024, the nations of the world spent a record $2.72 trillion on expanding their vast military strength, an increase of 9.4 percent from the previous year. It was the tenth year of consecutive spending increases and the steepest annual rise in military expenditures since the end of the Cold War.

    Competitiveness is one of our primary values. Competition runs the world. It orients success in business, or sports—and above all in war. Adversaries seek the transient glory of military advantage. Yet none of our four biggest challenges, the climate emergency, nuclear weapons, the rise of AI, and global pandemics are “us and them” problems. They are “us” problems. This may seem more obvious with climate change and disease, but it is just as true for AI and nukes, especially in some fatal combination of AI and nukes under theoretical consideration by the masters of war. The ruins of Gaza show us that even conventional wars can approach a nuclear level of destruction.

     During the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment thinkers realized that human reasoning provided a better understanding of our natural world than the explanations found in ancient religions. The Enlightenment spawned Humanism, a non-religious, democratic, and ethical life stance that emphasized human reason, compassion, and scientific inquiry rather than divine intervention. Humanism sought rational ways of solving human problems, and it has been remarkably successful, advancing society more in the past 250 years than in all the preceding 300,000 years of human history.

   Sometimes talking too much and too loudly will backfire on you. Those supporters once taking front seats are now sheepishly taking back seats. Some don’t even bother to show up. Maybe they have lost hope.