Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 3-23-18

Feature
Joyner Library Grand Opening Ceremony Set For Monday
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Monday, March 26th, the Grand Opening Cere- mony for the Arthenia L. Joyner University Area Community Library will take place at the library. The library is located at 13619 N. 22nd Street and the cere- mony will begin at 10 a.m.
A former State Senator and State Representative, Attorney Arthenia Joyner, for whom the li- brary is named said, “Throughout my life, the struggle has always been about human dignity and human rights. And I believe that knowledge is the great equalizer. You may segre- gate a people, but books bridge those walls.
“You may discriminate against certain groups, but books lift us beyond those barriers. You may teach us that some people are infe- rior, but books unlock the
truth.
“And so I am thrilled
that this library will bear my name. Not because of any status, or position, or title. But because it recognizes that everyone who walks through these doors affirms their unique potential every time they turn a page.”
The library was named in honor of Attorney Joyner last year after members of the Hillsbo- rough County Commission- ers voted 7-0 to name the library in honor of Attor- ney Joyner. The facility was under construction at the time. It opened last month and has been in use by members of the commu- nity since its opening.
Attorney Joyner is the first African American woman from Hillsborough County to be elected to the state legislature. She served 16 years as a State Repre- sentative and State Senator.
Attorney Joyner grad-
SENATOR ARTHENIA JOYNER
uated from Middleton High School, and was accepted at Florida A & M University, where she earned her de- gree in 1964.
It was during her early years that she first revealed what was to become a life- time of activism in the fight for Civil Rights. She took an active role in two sit-ins at theaters and churches.
She was arrested twice.
After graduating from FAMU, Attorney Joyner returned to Tampa and taught at Booker T. Wash- ington Junior High School for a year. She then contin- ued her education at the Florida A & M University, School of Law, graduating in 1968.
However, after she grad- uated, she experienced an- other form of discrimination. She found firms were not eager to hire a Black female lawyer.
With the help of her fa- ther, the late Henry Joyner, she obtained a loan to open her own law of- fice, where she practiced with Attorney Delano Stewart. She became the first African American woman to practice law in Hillsborough County.
Attorney Joyner won her first state election in 2000. After serving two terms as the state represen- tative, Attorney Joyner
was elected to two terms in the Florida Senate.
She became the first Black female to lead the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2014 through 2016. Her tenure as a Senator ended as a result of term limits after serving for 16 years.
Last year, Attorney Joyner became a member of the Vanguard Attorneys Law Firm. Having practiced law for 47 years, she is the first African American woman in Florida history to achieve this milestone.
Her most recent accom- plishment came about when she was appointed to serve on the 2017 Constitutional Revision Commission. The Constitutional Revision Commission is a panel of Floridians who assemble every 20 years to review the state Constitution and make recommendations for changes to it.
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