Jakari Griffith speaks to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Union

Jakari Griffith

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 OcalaJakari GriffithThey 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 bicyclesJakari 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.