Fighting for affirmative

action. (EDUCATION)
(Jakari Griffith speaks to
University of Nebraska-
Lincoln Student Union)
(Brief article)

FIGHTING FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: Jakari
Griffith (r) of Rockland County, NY, poses a question
during a meeting regarding affirmative action at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union while fellow
students listen. A campus organization known as Students
United for Nebraska (SUN) recently held a news
conference to fight the proposed amendment to the
Nebraska Constitution that would bar "preferential
treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race,
sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of
public employment, public education or public
contracting.
Cyclists end 1,300-
mile journey south
of Ocala
Jakari Griffith
They camped every
night but one to allow
Griffith, a professor at
Salem State University,
access to the Internet to
grade an online course
he was giving during the
ride.
Joyce Griffith said the family traveled and visited
19 countries when Jakari was a child, which led to
his wanderlust. Jerry Griffith, a veteran of the U.S.

Air Force and a retired New York City police officer,
said he likes to travel, but cautiously in regards
to bicycles
Jakari Griffith said he weighed about 148
pounds at the start of the ride but lost weight
and got saddle sores until he changed seats
about halfway into the trip.
A bicycle shop let me have the $60 seat for about
$12, he said. The bicycle shops are often like a
community.

Sandy Woodall with the Top Gear Bicycle shop in
Ocala said although she knew of rides spanning the
U.S., the trek by the two cyclists was a major
accomplishment.

Erica Hill of Santos Trailhead Bicycle Shop said she
sees an increase in the number of riders locally
and expressed concern about vehicle drivers
using caution when passing bikes.
Car and truck drivers should know about the three-foot
(clearance) rule, Hill said.

According to information provided by Ocala Police Officer
Matthew Clinker, Florida Statute 316.083 states drivers
must pass a bicyclist at a safe distance not less than
three feet away from the rider.

Griffith and Malone said they encountered mostly
accommodating drivers, but a few honked and waved for
them to move. Both men stressed that bicycle riders must
follow appropriate rules of the road.

At the end of the ride, Jakari Griffith said his primary
motivation was simply, I want to live life to the fullest.