Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 2-10-17

Black History
Will You See A Dynamic Leader Like
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In Your Lifetime?
AKAs Celebrate 109th Founders’ Day In Bartow, Florida
Tampa members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Soror- ity, Inc. traveled to Bartow recently to join in the 109th Founders’ Day celebration. From left: Sonja Garcia (14th South Atlantic Regional Director), Donna Dou- glas, (Cluster Coordinator), Carolyn House Stewart (28th International President), Charletta Wilson Jacks, from Atlanta, GA, (International Secretary and keynote speaker); and Marsha Lewis Brown (17th South Atlantic Regional Georgia).
BY E. MOORE Contributing Sentinel Writer
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minis- ter and a Civil Rights activist who had an unforgettable im- pact on race relations in the United States during the mid- 1950s. He played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the United States as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1964. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 among other honors. He was assassinated in April 1968, but will always be re- membered as one of the most influential, and dynamic lead- ers in African-American his- tory.
We celebrated his birthday last month and the National Holiday in his honor. Now that we’re into Black History Month, his name and informa- tion about him will continue to come up.
I began to wonder, if there would ever be another dy- namic leader like Dr. King, which led me to reach out to our readers. Below are their responses:
WANDA DEBOSE
“Yes, I believe there will be another dynamic leader who will actually come to center stage during the four-year term of President Trump. I feel that it is essential that this person asserts himself at this time while there is so much di- vision among the people of our country in hopes that he can do some of the things that Dr. King did.
We need someone to bring hope and peace to a nation full of doubt and hopelessness”.
JOCELYN STEPHENS
“I believe that we already have a dynamic leader like Dr. King in the person of former President Obama. How- ever, I feel that he will only be able to ascend to higher heights now that he has left the White House and no longer has to face so much opposition. I think that he will now be able to continue the work he had al- ready started and our people will get behind and support him fully. He will become a great and outstanding leader in the private sector and perhaps
get a lot more accomplished than he could as president, be- cause he won’t have to face the same obstacles he faced during his reign as president.”
WILLIAM CLAY
“No, I don’t feel that we will see another leader like Dr. King during my lifetime. Leaders like Dr. King seem to surface around 100 years apart. I feel that now because of social media, people don’t get physically involved as much anymore as they did dur- ing Dr. King’s time, but in- stead express their concerns over social media. I think things would have to get really bad before someone would take a stand the way Dr. King did. Therefore, in my opinion, I don’t think there will be any- one taking up Dr. King’s mantle until Jesus comes back.”
JOANETTE RANKINS
“Yes, I feel that God has people everywhere and that there are those among us who will continue to lead us toward justice and integrity and great things. I believe a person will emerge during this or the next decade. This person will cap- ture the world’s attention just as Dr. King did, because so- cial media has made the world much more accessible for news to travel at a greater speed around the world than when Dr. King was alive.
“I feel the technology of the day (television) helped to propel the work and message of King forward and thus having it positively impact the world and benefit people from every race and background.
“Today, we have far more ways information and news can travel and shine light on such a leader as Dr. King. With that being said, due to technology, someone will be moved to action by the vast amount of information that is now so readily available.”
DONNA WALKER
“I believe we have already seen the likes of a dynamic leader like Dr. King in the person of former President Obama. He is a more subtle leader, but he gets things ac- complished. He is not an ele- phant in the room, but his presence cannot be denied. I don’t believe he will take part in politics, but will work in some section of healthcare, jobs, housing, and inner-city kids. He will work along with his wife and focus more on their children. I also believe he will take a break for a moment and then come back ready to get to work with a purpose”.
PEARL GOODWIN
“No, I don’t believe we will have another dynamic leader like Dr. King because I think that people are fearful of being killed. Maybe in another cen- tury, but now because of social media, information travels so fast and people are very cau- tious. So I just don’t think there will ever be another like Dr. King who was not afraid of dying, to take up his mantle in my lifetime.”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 13-A