Page 18 - Florida Sentinel 8-23-16 Online Edition

National
NABJ President Awards FAMUan Elise Durham With 2016 President’s Award
Elise Durham poses with students from the FAMU School of Journalism at the NABJ/NAHJ Convention in Washing- ton, D.C.
National Incarceration Association Seeks To Bridge Gaps
WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) President Sarah Glover has awarded Elise Durham, the association’s President’s Award. The award is given annually to a member or members who have made outstanding con- tributions to the organiza- tion.
“Elise is a first-class pro- fessional who has over time established herself as a gifted communications pro- fessional and an attentive event manager,” said Glover. “We are fortunate that this year she assisted with logistics for the Presi- dential Candidate’s Forum with Secretary Hillary Clinton and produced the NABJ Founders Reception at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Ameri- can History and Culture. She also was the creative mind behind our new feature in the career fair, the Innova- tion Bubble.”
Durham had earlier been selected to serve as NABJ’s 2016 Convention Chair but stepped aside due to the sudden and unex- pected losses of both her fa- ther, and older brother.
“It is truly a testament to
her love of this organization that Elise still found a way to contribute to the success of this year’s convention. We are grateful for her contin- ued service to our organiza- tion and for all that she has done to inspire, motivate, and encourage us the mem- bers of her chosen family, because as we know NABJ is truly family.”
A committed long-time member of NABJ, Durham served as Program Chair and Convention Chair for two consecutive national conven- tions in Tampa, Florida, and San Diego, California, where she earned rave reviews for her skill in planning and ex- ecuting events.
Durham is currently the Assistant Vice President For Communications, Marketing and Media Relations at Florida A&M University (FAMU), her alma mater. Prior to her work in higher education she spent nearly 15 years as a television news producer during which time she earned numerous awards including two Emmy® awards and five Telly® awards
Durham was presented the award at the conven- tion’s Salute to Excellence Awards Gala Saturday night.
In March of this year, Kate Boccia and a group of supporters founded the Na- tional Incarceration Associa- tion.
The goal of the organiza- tion is to unite family mem- bers who have loved ones incarcerated, and form part- nerships to bridge gaps caused by those incarcerations.
“Politicians are talking sweeping changes and an- nouncing improvement num- bers,” said Ms. Boccia.
“Some judges and some prosecutors are starting to show guarded signs of sensi- tivity. In most states, there are hundreds of non-profit agen- cies that have been fighting this mass incarceration battle for years, long before it be- came easier to discuss and de- bate in the public square.”
Ms. Boccia said mean- while, there’s the grand- mother who has worked the same rotation of minimum wage jobs for the last 33 years and whose 38-year-old son can only keep a job as long as his felony conviction record
KATE BOCCIA Founder, NIA
goes undiscovered.
“She runs from her sister’s
phone calls now because she cannot afford to pitch in to keep her nephew off the street.
‘But, she stops everything to answer the phone when her daughter calls from prison. She’s been there for 12 years, and went in addicted to heroin and with the skills of a habit- ual thief.”
Ms. Boccia said there’s no money for her four children to travel 300 miles to visit her. They are sheltered as best as can be by the weary arms of the grandmother.
“If you travel on a public bus or train and engage in ca-
sual conversations with peo- ple, every fifth or perhaps even every fourth person can speak openly about someone in their family or personal circle of in- terest who is suffering through the collateral consequences of incarceration.
“Our current system, poli- cies and local norms that we all know so well, continue to leave far too many families and individuals lost, empty, frustrated, alone, and fading away into dark futures.
“The NIA is here to help reverse these norms and bring hope, bridge gaps, connect as- sets, end waste, and advocate for those who have no voice.”
The NIA is devoted to pur- suing the resolution of mass incarceration issues as experi- enced by average families. They are focused on those real life situations that distress the vitality, health and civic po- tential of families impacted in anyway by the necessity of in- carceration.
To learn more about this organization, call (678) 523- 6987.
Mysterious Death Of Famed Herbalist While In Police Custody Sparks Rumors
Dr. Sebi was a world renowned naturalist who spe- cialized in herbology, pathol- ogy and biochemistry. Born in Honduras in 1933, Dr. Sebi received inspiration to become a natural healer from the beauty he observed in nature and his beloved grandmother “Mama Hay.”
She along with an herbalist from Mexico taught Dr. Sebi the gift of natural healing, using plants found in nature to cure diseases previously deemed incurable. Upon relo- cating to the United States, Dr. Sebi developed various chronic illnesses including asthma, diabetes and obesity.
Conventional medicine failed to cure Dr. Sebi, lead- ing him to Mexico and eventu- ally the herbalist who changed his life. Astounded by the ef- fectiveness of natural medi- cine, Dr. Sebi began creating his own products made from natural vegetation that pro- mote inter-cellular cleansing and revitalization of important cells in the human body. The herbalist had a 30-year history of curing diseases once thought incurable
His unique knowledge of natural healing led to the cre- ation of the USHA Research Institute, Dr. Sebi LLC and the Usha Healing Village lo- cated in Laceiba, Honduras. There his team has success- fully reversed various illnesses believed to be incurable, in- cluding AIDS, sickle cell ane-
DR. SEBI
mia, lupus, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, epilepsy and much more.
The herbalist received no- toriety for treating several celebrities including Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of TLC, actor Steven Seagal and Michael Jackson. But sadly Dr. Sebi’s life ended abruptly, roughly two months after being arrested at Juan Manuel Galvez de Roatan In- ternational Airport in Hon- duras.
On May 28, 2016, the natu- ral healer and his associate Pablo Medina Gamboa were apprehended on charges of money laundering after ar- riving in Honduras from Cali- fornia. Dr. Sebi was reportedly carrying $20,000 in cash on his person and Gamboa $30,000.
The two were attempting to board a private plane to an- other location in Honduras when they were detained. Dr. Sebi was released pending a June 3, 2016, court appear- ance; however, he was arrested again by the Public Ministerio,
the equivalent to the U. S. Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation.
The Unsanitary Living Conditions In The Honduran Prison System
The health of the 82-year- old holistic healer began to de- teriorate while incarcerated in the Honduran prison system, which has been described as “desperately overcrowded, un- sanitary, seething with tension and violence.”
Dr. Sebi was reportedly diagnosed with pneumonia and placed on pharmaceutical drugs. His health quickly went downhill while his family worked against the clock to get him released.
One of the reasons the Honduran prison system is so overcrowded is because 50 percent of the prisoners are held in pre-trial detention.
Dr. Sebi’s condition grew so critical that he passed away while being rushed to the Vi- cente D’antoni Hospital. It’s currently unclear whether there is any evidence to sug- gest foul play.
“With your support Dr. Sebi’s legacy will not cease to exist. Fortunately, Dr. Sebi transmitted his knowledge to his disciples at Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food who have learned directly from Dr. Sebi and will maintain his knowledge, philosophy and formulas in- tact. It is our duty at Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food to continue with his legacy.”
PAGE 18 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016