Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 1-13-17 Edition

Our Community
Black History Month And Voting Rights
My name is Minister Juanita Ford. I have al- ways been interested in young people. I have an AA degree, two Bachelor’s degrees, and a Master’s degree. I have been taught and have learned never to give up until you reach your goal and con- quer whatever you set out to capture.
I have used these skills to build relationships, build trust, and create hope within the Jackson Heights community. We as a community are re- questing a building to be constructed at Alfred Barnes, Jr. Park. I have submitted a petition that was signed by the mem- bers of the community to the Community Develop- ment Agency Board, Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s office and Greg Bayor, the Director of Parks and Recreations.
Bayor made a state- ment of how proud he was of the National Parks and Recreation Associa- tions and how he is proud of his outstanding staff and the impact they have had on the community.
I disagree with his statement. I do not feel the staff has had an im- pact on our community.
Alfred “Al” Barnes, Jr. Park has been without staff for many years. We have been forgotten about and overlooked, and no one seems to care. I am one never to give up, I am pushing to get a building, and staff put in place at Alfred Al Barnes, Jr. Park, for our youth and teenagers to have a place to go in their community. This will give our kids a safe place to go and inter- act with as positive, thriv- ing environment and let them know others in the community care about their success besides their parents.
My mission is to pro- vide an environment that is based on mutual trust and respect which can en- courage families to de- velop healthy relation- ship, self-respect, positive attitude and help build up the self-esteem in our youth and maximizing every youth potential. We value and respect the di- versity of our community and recognize that the di- versity enhances our lives and the lives of others and empowering people to become involved in their community.
MINISTER JUANITA FORD
As we enter another year and prepare to cele- brate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his legacy and various Black History contributions, I can’t help but wonder how, we as African Americans, can participate in thousands of parades to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., host and participate in several educational pro- grams for Black History Month, and march in pa- rades, but not turn out to vote.
We have witnessed thousands of African Americans marching in protests, locked arms across busy streets, and loud voices in chants like an African drum, but come up absent at the polls. What is preventing us from getting out to vote for a political official for our: City Commissioners, County Commissioners, State House Officials, State Senators, Gover- nors, United States Con- gressmen and Congresswomen, United State Senators and the President of the United States of America.
History illuminates the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in galva- nizing African Americans through the Civil Rights Movement from Decem- ber, 1955 until April, 1968.
One of the key goals of the Civil Rights Movement was to enhance the pro- ductivity of achieving racial equality across the
United States of America for all citizens. Out of all the major movements and achievements Dr. King made through his life time, in my opinion, the Voting Rights Act was the top achievement for African Americans.
Dr. King made a major impact on Voting Rights which is vital to the sus- tainability for the African Americans’ quality of life.
Dr. King launched a Southern Christian Lead- ership Conference (SCLC) campaign based in Selma, Alabama. The campaign focused on pressuring the United States legislators to pass Voting Rights Act for African Americans and all citizens alike.
Friday August 6, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Vot- ing Rights Act into law, which was a superior tri- umph for securing an au- dible voice amongst African Americans. The question today is, “Do you use the tool we have in the Voting Rights Act to vote in: off elections, mid-term elections and Presidential Elections now that we have the right to show up at the polls?”
In his time, Carter G. Woodson, the founder of Black History Month, pro- vided vital historical edu- cational information about African Americans and their contributions to society to encourage and motivate African Ameri- cans citizens to vote in all
elections cycles. This year when I was
out in the community speaking to citizens about voting and elections, I often heard statements from African American citizens that caused me to wonder about the practice of using the right we were given back in 1965. Some statements were the fol- lowing: “My Vote doesn’t count,” “they are going to put whomever they want to put in,” or “I don't care about that, voting does not affect me,” “I don’t have time to hear what you have to say,” and “I am in a rush.”
It was disheartening to say the least. I believe there are self-inflicting Jim Crow Laws in effect that are perpetuated by these statements. We have an opportunity to vote, but we find reasons to stop ourselves. We should exercise the right to vote at every opportu- nity for: local, mid-term, regional, and national elections.
If we all vote on elec- tion day for the local, state, regional, and na- tional political leaders who we want to put in of- fice and who have a record of having our in- terests in mind, we can ef- fect change in public policies that directly affect our: communities, chil- dren, the elderly, poverty, education, economy and jobs.
Let's make 2017 a pro- ductive year of change and beyond by exercising your right to VOTE.
DR. SHANDALE TERRELL
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017