Page 13 - 6-24-16 Friday's Edition

FLORIDA SENTINEL FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2016
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New West Tampa Leader Has Vision For The Future
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Growing up in West Tampa, Abeba Sauter Woods remembers how the area had residents with a sense of purpose and knew their place in the history of the community.
Ms. Woods left the area to attend college, and since 2003, she has been an instructor at Tomlin Middle School.
Ms. Woods is the new president of the Old West Tampa Neighborhood Association, and she has definite plans for the future of that commu- nity.
“I came back to West Tampa, and took over my grandmother’s house, which is where I grew up. I immedi- ately started attending the neighbor- hood association meetings, because I was very interested in what was going on in West Tampa.
“When Mike Vannetta decided he wanted to step down as president, I was nominated to take his place, and
ABEBA SAUTER WOODS
after I won, I felt the community had confidence in me to work on their be- half.”
Ms. Woods said after assuming the position of President, she sat down with Vannetta to try to pick up where he left off, and began to focus her attention to the young people in the community.
“I spent a lot of time talking to the kids to find out their connection to West Tampa, and to see if any of the area’s history had been passed on to them.
“I understand there are a lot of challenges in West Tampa, especially with all the development and redevel- opment projects going on.”
Ms. Woods said she understands that Old West Tampa is a transitional community because of all the rental properties in the area.
“That’s why it’s important for us to reach out to property and business owners in the area, and convince them to maintain their stake in the commu- nity.
“When it comes to the children, they don’t know the history of West Tampa, and its transitional persona is to blame for that.”
Ms. Woods said when she moved back to West Tampa she reached to residents in the area, who told her there had been some shootings in West Tampa.
“What we need is more people who care about where they live and have lot of pride.
“Right now, I’m concerned about the future of businesses in West Tampa, and if they will survive the re- development plans for the area.”
Ms. Woods said she’s had conver- sations with a lot of people with their own personal agendas on the future of West Tampa,
“I think all of those people need to spend more time helping to stabilize the community, instead of trying to create something for self.
“West Tampa is a rich community, and we need to promote that.”
Ms. Woods said people who can embrace the history and culture are the people they are trying to connect with.
The Old West Tampa Neighbor- hood Association meets every 4th Monday, 6:30 p.m., at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (Sugar Shack). Agendas are prepared a week before each meeting.
Brothers Turn Passion For Reading Into A Business
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Reading isn’t just a favorite pas- time for brothers Kyle and Kris Col- ley – it’s a business.
The pair has teamed up with friend, Caesar Smith to create Read More, which blends fashion and liter- acy to bridge the gap between reading and popular culture.
At the heart of the business are t- shirts that on the backside feature quotes from famous authors like Maya Angelou and Dr. Seuss.
The shirts come in either black or white and the Read More’s logo is em- blazoned on the front.
Founded in December from their hometown of Aurora, Colo., the broth- ers say they and Smith are beginning to see Read More gain more interest.
“When you walk around with something that says ‘read more’, it makes people think,” Kyle said.
So far, about 20 t-shirts have been sold through the business’ website, www.readmoreco.com.
Growth is slow, but is expected to pick up when Read More – which of- ficially launched in May – reaches more people, Kyle said.
“It’s a startup so we’ve gone through startup issues,” he said. “Peo- ple, when they hear about our idea,
BROTHERS, KYLE AND KRIS COLLEY
they love it.”
The brothers – whose mother,
Janet Myers Colley, a former resi- dent of Tampa, an advocate that re- sulted in the building of what is now known as the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Library – say they caught the entre- preneurial bug while students at Morehouse College.
Kyle, 20, currently is a junior there while Kris, 23, graduated from the prestigious university last year, following in the footsteps of their fa- ther, Judge Kristopher Colley. Caesar, 25, is a graduate of Adams State University in Alamosa, Colo.
Business partner, Ceasar Smith holds the Read More banner that bares the logo.
Both will spend the summer in Philadelphia working with the Demo- cratic National Committee, Kyle as a volunteer and Kris as a staff assis- tant.
Running a business with a sibling and childhood friend has worked well so far, Kris said.
If the brothers have a disagree- ment, Caesar sometimes acts as a “buffer” between them, he said.
“Each of us has the drive for suc- cess that motivates us to be something different....to be the exception to the rule,” he said. “It’s kind of a match
made in heaven.”
Both Kyle and Kris, II point to
James Baldwin’s “Fire the Next Time” as reigniting their passion for reading and an inspiration for their business. Both count the author among their favorites.
Kris said the business will go be- yond just t-shirts.
The ultimate goal is to open liter- acy centers across the country to en- courage reading and an appreciation for all genres, especially among stu- dents who often find it difficult to read and understand the classics, he said.