Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 10-20-15 Edition

Editorials
Act Now
#BlackLivesMatter: A Rallying Cry For Our Times
The Negrification Of The Mexican-American Border
Recent incidents involving U. S. Customs agents, Border Protection officials, and hapless motorists attempting to cross the Mexican-American border include the following
situations: In Southern Arizona, a Mexican-American mili- tary veteran recalled how his children huddled in horror on their car’s backseat while Border patrolmen grilled the man as to whether or not he was his children’s father.
At a checkpoint between Phoenix and Tucson, an Immi- gration deputy threatened to use a stun-gun on a female mo- torist’s brother because her brother asked why the two were being detained. Last, but not least, at a California check- point, an Immigration agent with hand on his holster, al- legedly approached a motorist and demanded, “How would you like to have a gun pointed at your face?”
Change the locales and the faces. Instead of Arizona put Alabama. Rather than U. S. Customs officials replace them with deputies of Birmingham’s Bull Connor. Is there any wonder when you close your eyes you see Mississippi rather than Mexico?
We’ve been there before. If the truth be told, the worst error America continues to make is exemplified by what one news writer recently observed, “Drivers repeatedly accused Mexican American border checkpoint agents of improper gunplay, racial profiling, excessive roughness, and verbal abuse,” the same accusations leveled against American law enforcement during the Civil Rights 60s, during the Korean and Vietnam “police actions,” and here recently during Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Since the end of the Civil War, the story is the same. Con- sequently, the reality of the situation comes to a blunt ques- tion: America, when are we going to learn that not everybody can be treated like a “Negro?”
“Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now without delay.”
~Simone De Beauvoir
There are moments in life when you get time sensitive information. You are told to ACT NOW! A delay in acting will cause you to miss a dead- line or a valuable opportunity. As I read the quote below by Og Mandino, I knew that I had to share it with the read- ers of this column.
I have pledged within my- self to post these words in a visible place so that I can read them every day. I pray you do the same. Especially during the seasons in your life when you feel like your dreams have
Marc H. Morial President and CEO National Urban League
“This is not a moment, but a movement.”
~ Black Lives Matter Or- ganization
While it is obvious to many of us that all lives matter, it is not so obvious that in our great nation founded on the princi- ples of equality and justice that Black lives matter.
Young Black men are at 21 times greater risk than young white men of being shot dead by police officers, according to a ProPublica analysis of available federal data. New laws guided by the old strategies of voter suppression are aimed at reduc- ing Black turnout at the polls. Sixty years after the ground- breaking Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that put an end to legal segregation in American public schools, the practice is greater now than it was then. And along with the resurgence of segregation comes an ever-widening achievement gap between white students and students of color. In our separate schools and classrooms, we find separate and unequal levels of achieve- ment, and the separate and un- equal distribution of resources necessary to narrow or elimi- nate the achievement gap. De- spite our nation’s most sustained period of job creation since the devastation of the Great Recession, the Black un- employment rate is consistently twice that of their white peers.
no meaning, your plans are all unaccomplished goals and your life is a mission impossi- ble. Tell yourself that despite what it looks like, I will ACT NOW!
“I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Hence- forth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, every day, until the words be- come as much a habit as my breathing, and the action which follows becomes as in- stinctive as the blinking of my eyelids.
“With these words I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success. I will act now. I will repeat these words again and again and again. I will walk
When we say “Black lives matter,” we acknowledge that while our nation has made sig- nificant and important strides its journey to create a more per- fect union—the scales of equal- ity and justice are still not balanced for all.
The “Black Lives Matter” movement was created after the acquittal of George Zimmer- man for the tragic and avoid- able death of Trayvon Martin. Since its creation, many more unarmed Black and Brown men and women have been killed at the hands of vigi- lantes and police officers. And, more often than not, their mur- derers are not held accountable. But if police tactics were the sparks that set off firestorms of outcry, protest and demands for change from New York to Mis- souri, and beyond, we know that seemingly intractable poverty, long-term joblessness and the pollution of hopeless- ness were the tinder. In our fight to save our cities, The Na- tional Urban League has—and will—continue to respond and shed light on the problems and inequities around education, jobs and justice, as well as offer what is needed most: solutions.
On the justice front, we pre- sented our 10-Point Plan for Justice and Police Accountabil- ity to President Obama’s taskforce on 21st century polic- ing. We are committed to being an active part of the solutions that move our nation to deliver on its promise of fair treatment by law enforcement for every American. We have also added our voice and proverbial muscle
where failures fear to walk. I will work when failures seek rest. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomor- row is the day when failure will succeed. I am not a fail- ure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, suc- cess will become wed to an- other and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.” ~Og Mandino
ACT NOW! Don’t delay! Your success is waiting on you to act on it. Let’s stay con- nected. I want to help you Act Now on your dreams, goals and passions. Call or text (813) 956-0185 to invite Selphenia to speak or present a workshop or training for your next event.
Let’s stay connected through social media. Face- book Business Fan Page: Selphenia Nichols, website: http://successcoach- towomen.com or twitter: queenofsuccess1 or Instagram: Selphenia.
to the call that Congress hold hearings on the Voting Rights Advancement Act and commit itself to protecting all of our na- tion’s citizens against voter sup- pression. When it comes to jobs, we single-handedly put 16,000 people to work through our job-training programs. We also successfully advocated for key provisions that were ulti- mately included in the federal government’s Workforce Inno- vation and Opportunity Act. Those provisions do the real work of training our workforce for 21st century jobs and con- necting those employees with jobs that pay living wages.
On the education front, we continued to battle for equity in educational outcomes and re- sources. Our multimedia cam- paign, “Put Our Children First,” strengthened our continued support for Common Core state standards. We are also advocat- ing along with a variety of civil rights, social justice groups and business leaders to get Congress to re-authorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson recognized that eliminating racial and eco- nomic disparities in education would play a critical role in building a more just society. Fifty years later, we are still fighting towards that goal.
If we, as a nation, are serious about our claim that all lives matter, it is paramount that we not only acknowledge the mounting disparities, but we begin to implement the solu- tions that open up opportunity and justice to marginalized communities—only then will all lives truly matter. The cry that “Black lives matter,” doesn’t mean that those are the only lives that matter in our country, it means Black lives matter, too. Our nation’s citizens must be offered equal access and oppor- tunity to quality education, jobs with living wages and fair treat- ment under our nation’s system of justice for all lives to truly matter.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
West River Development Must Be Inclusive
No doubt, developers, the Buckhorn administration, and Tampa Housing Authority are excited about their plans to redevelop West Tampa, bordered by Interstate 275,
Columbus Drive, Rome Avenue, and the Hillsborough River. Needless to say, we certainly hope West Tampa residents are equally excited.
Indeed, this area includes a voting precinct with more than 1,000 registered voters. Furthermore, the project call- ing for demotion of North Boulevard Homes and the infill of vacant lots, along with the demolition of quaint Presbyte- rian Village will move more than 1,000 residents during a critical election year. Such are the logistics.
Input from residents currently living in the West River Development area is critical, therefore, to make certain ad- equate, moderate and low-income housing is reasonably guaranteed in the planned mixed-income housing sched- uled to replace the housing to be demolished.
Not only should the project “bring economic develop- ment opportunity and jobs opportunity,” but the project construction should bring jobs to West Tampa residents, consultants, vendors, and construction companies owned by Black citizens.
Therefore, we encourage West Tampa residents who missed last week’s meeting, especially businesses and home- owners, to attend the next public meeting about the West River Project scheduled for Tuesday, October 27th at 6 p.m. at the MLK Community Center, 2200 N. Oregon Avenue. Now is the time for your voice and concerns to be heard.
We’ll be listening.