Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 12-20-19

Editorial/Column
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10 Good Dudes
Part I
After the Billie Dee Williams fiasco a few weeks ago, when he made a comment during an inter- view claiming his gender flu- idity (an admission that he has since stated was due to his misunderstanding of the term), it occurred to me just how truly important it is for there to exist strong Black, male, role models in the pub- lic domain.
The shock waves that re- sulted from Williams' un- expected revelation, which had my mother believing her world was being destroyed, made me realize the pro- found impact successful Black men have on society.
Since there are so few who actually make it, due to a variety of factors too nu- merous to name, we find our- selves viewing those who do as beacons of light whose shine has a way of illuminat- ing our collective self-worth. This is why, when the image of one of our heroes is tar- nished or they're exposed for being something other than what they profess, the loss in admiration can feel as de- pressing as the environment that takes shape whenever a rain cloud blots out the sun.
In order to prevent these types of let downs from con- tinuing to happen it seems that the most logical route to take would simply involve re- fraining from placing people on pedestals in the first place. But since that's easier said than done, considering how prone we are to cele- brate Black excellence, the next best thing is to become more careful about who we select as icons.
With that being said, I've
created a list of 10 living Black men who I personally look up to and who I believe are least likely to disappoint us in the long run. Of course, they aren't perfect, but who is? And, some of them have made questionable decisions over the years. But the one thing they all have in com- mon is that they each have the potential to leave this Earth with their dignity in- tact and their legacies solidi- fied.
10.) Spike Lee: One of the reasons why I chose to at- tend an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) out of high school was be- cause of this man. His film School Daze was so inspir- ing that he single-handily motivated a generation of young Black men and women to seek higher education. And his willingness to take on the Hollywood power structure, in order to make movies that told stories about the Black experience, makes him a true revolution- ary. The fact that he's also re- sponsible for giving us the best Malcolm X movie ever only adds to his stature.
9.) Michael Eric Dyson: Let me start by say- ing that I love the way the brother speaks. His vocabu- lary is so on point he makes smart people feel stupid. His unique ability to give well de- veloped lectures on every- thing from politics to hip-hop makes him one of the most inspiring and thought pro- voking intellectuals of our time.
8.) Derrick Brooks: This is a brother who has been about his business since his rookie year in the NFL 24 years ago. He is a philanthro- pist who made it his life's
mission to mentor youth by using his own resources to take underprivileged chil- dren on trips to different continents in an effort to ex- pose them to the world that exists beyond their neighbor- hoods. When I wrote a col- umn earlier this year about who should be Tampa's first Black mayor, an old friend reached out to me and said I should have suggested D. B. instead.
When I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that he was right. I mean, any Black man who has a high school named after him while he's still alive has to be doing something special.
7.) D. L. Hughley: Some people may be surprised to see him on this list but, as far as I'm concerned, he's one of the most authentic personal- ities on the scene right now. It was actually a toss-up be- tween Hughley and Dave Chappelle for this spot. But the unapologetic Blackness Hughley displays on his daily radio program gave him the edge. His fearless comedy and sharp wit make him a force to be reckoned with and the fact that he doesn't have a problem making white peo- ple feel uncomfortable when discussing issues concerning race makes him a rockstar in my book.
6.) Colin Kaepernick: During an era when the aver- age athlete is afraid to sneeze too loud if it means disrupt- ing his "brand," Kaeper- nick decided to take a knee on the largest stage in an at- tempt to bring awareness to one of America's biggest problems.... police brutality against people of color. While he's not as vocal as I would like him to be, his will- ingness to risk it all for the greater good speaks volumes.
See my top 5 in the Tuesday edition.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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Food For Children Or A Wall?
icture this scenario. You have neighbors who you
can’t stand, and whose children are always run- ning through your yard. You want to build a fence to keep the children out; however you must use the money from your food budget to pay for it. What would you do? By the way, your five children are watching.
Guess what America is doing? The Trump Admin- istration is planning to eliminate funding that pro- vides food stamps and free lunches for 3 million people and nearly a million school children. Here in Florida, nearly 200,000 school children would lose access to free lunches. The plan is to take away the “states’ ability to tweak some income and asset limits for households that receive both food stamps and other welfare benefits.”
It seems the Trump administration forgot why chil- dren get free breakfast and free lunch in the first place. Teachers know the behavior fallout of hungry children’s behavior and performance in the class- rooms. Yet, the Trump administration is spending bil- lions to build a wall that Mexicans are already tunneling under and using ladders to climb.
Mohandas Gandhi once said, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” Gandhi’s words are as appropriate today as they were when he first spoke them in 1931. We urge school sys- tem employees, school boards, families receiving food stamps and free breakfasts and lunches, and citizens who recognize the negative impact of hunger to call Congressional representatives and tell them how you feel about returning America to a nation of greatness that takes care of our weaker citizens.
Eliminating funding that provides food stamps and free lunches for low income families calls America’s greatness to question. We don’t know about you, but we say, Americans should put the hunger of its chil- dren before building walls. What about you?
Local
Man’s Body Found In Hillsborough River
On Tuesday shortly before 2 p.m., police were notified of a body floating in the Hillsborough River. The body was discovered in the 7500 block of N. Boulevard, near the Lowry Park Boat Ramp.
Tampa Police Marine Units responded to the scene and recovered the body of an adult male. The body was transported to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office to confirm his identity and the cause of death.
No additional information has been released, pending the Medical Examiner’s report. The in- vestigation is continuing.
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