Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 7-29-16 Online Edition

FLORIDA SENTINEL FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016
Several Hundred Greet Hillary Clinton, Days Before The Democratic National Convention
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Former Secretary of State and New York senator Hillary Clinton is at the Democratic Convention this week preparing to accept her Party’s nomination for ‘Pres- ident of The United States.’ However last week, she made a swing through the I-4 cor- ridor and heavily Hispanic population of South Florida to lay ground work and his- torically announce her run- ning mate.
During her visit to Tampa, on last Friday, she urged a crowd of several hun- dred at the Florida State Fairgrounds to turn away from her presumptive oppo- nent’s message of “fear and resentment.”
Instead of voting for Re-
publican presi- dential nominee Donald Trump, Mrs. Clinton said voters would be prudent to sup- port a candidate who will bring the country to- gether – her.
“The last
thing we need is
leaders who try
to divide us,”
she said. “Our differences, which makes up our diver- sity, makes the United States the best positioned country in the world for the 21st cen- tury.”
Prior to the Tampa rally, Clinton stopped in Orlando to pay respects at Pulse nightclub where 49 people were killed by a gunman. She
HILLARY CLINTON
also met with the families of the victims.
Clinton was scheduled to appear Saturday in Miami. Shortly after her stop in Miami, Clinton announced Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia
as her running mate.
In his speech, Sen. Bill
Nelson praised Clinton as “someone who knows how to
bring us to- gether.”
Clinton’s
brief speech was peppered with bursts of enthusiastic ap- plause from the crowd, which wasamixof young and old, Black and white, men and women.
While Trump boasted of being ca- pable of resolving problems on his own, that’s not how it
should be, Clinton said. “His version of America is one where we Americans are helpless, we need to be res- cued,” she said. “He doesn’t understand that we Ameri- cans are strong, results-ori-
ented people.”
Kathanell Griffin of Riverview said Clinton’s message about unity and co- hesiveness “spoke volumes.”
“She is the only candidate who is saying that together we can solve our issues,” she said.
Twila Hurst and Stephanie Burke, both of Tampa, concurred.
“We love her policies, we love what she’s about,” Burke said.
Clinton is “everything that Donald Trump is not,” Hurst said. “We’ve got to keep him out of the White House.”
Valrico resident Victor Nkonga said he’s support- ing Clinton because of her stance on the issues.
“What’s she’s fighting for is something that I like,” he said.
Buffalo Soldiers And Troopers Motorcycle Club Held National Convention In Tampa
MARCUS “STEALTH” WILSON
Tampa Chapter President
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Nearly 2,000 members of the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers and Troopers Motorcycle Club painted the Tampa Bay area yellow and black while visiting the area last week for the organiza- tion’s national convention.
It’s a visual effect that will leave a great impression on the region for years, said Tenor “T-Fly” Felician, vice president of the Tampa chapter, which boasts 70 members.
“A lot of times when peo- ple see us, they associate us with gangs,” he said. “We’re not a gang. We try to promote a positive image.”
Many of the club’s mem- bers are professionals, includ- ing police officers and businessmen, said Tampa president, Marcus
BUFFALO SOLDIERS FLORIDA CHAPTER
“Stealth” Wilson.
The convention in Tampa is the just the start: next month, the group – which takes its name from the all- Black Army regiments formed in 1866 – will convene at the Buffalo Soldier monument in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to celebrate the 150th anniver- sary of the founding of the regiments, said national pres- ident, Glenn “Gray Fox” Williams.
Well-known for their mo- torcycles, distinctive colors
and decorative regalia, the club is foremost a community service-oriented nonprofit, Williams said
Charity rides, educational seminars, and scholarship fundraisers are at the core of the organization’s mission, he said.
“We come together over our love of motorcycles and our love of community serv- ice,” Williams said.
Education is a top priority and each of the club’s 118 chapters are required to visit
elementary and middle schools to teach students about the Buffalo Soldiers and their role in the history of the United States armed forces, Williams said.
This year, the group is em- barking on an aggressive cam- paign to partner with corporate sponsors to in- crease the amount and num- ber of scholarships it awards, he said.
Each year, about 40 stu- dents receive a scholarship.
By the end of the Tampa
convention, more than $20,000 in scholarship money will have been awarded to students, Williams said.
At each national conven- tion, the club makes it a prior- ity to make a large donation to a local charity. It’s expected that the group’s charity ride from downtown Tampa to the Harley-Davidson dealership in Brandon will generate an estimated $5,000.
“We’ll leave a lot of our money here,” he said.
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