Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 2-4-22

Black History: The History Behind The Names
Arthenia Joyner University Area Community Library
The Arthenia L. Joyner University Area Community Library, located adjacent to Muller Elementary Magnet School on 22nd Street in the University Area of Tampa, opened to the public in Janu- ary 2018. Construction of the 15,000 square foot building was funded by the Hillsbor-
ough County Board of County Commissioners and a grant from the Florida Department of State, Division of Library Services and the State of Florida. The library was named in honor of Senator Arthenia L. Joyner, a dis- tinguished lawyer and politi- cian and dedicated advocate
for service, equality, and civil rights.
Senator Joyner has been a pioneer and political trailblazer throughout Born in 1943 in Lakeland, Florida (later moving to Tampa), she was taught by her father, Henry Joyner -- the owner of Tampa’s premier African-
American night club, the Cot- ton Club -- about the impor- tance of sharing personal success with those less fortu- nate. Her mother, Jean Joyner, taught her to follow her conscience and her con- victions, and never be afraid to speak up on issues that mattered.
In 1960, while an 11th grade student at Tampa’s Middleton High, she partici- pated in her first civil rights demonstration, an event that would shape her entire life. As a college student at Florida A & M University, she was arrested twice in 1963 for civil disobedience and spent 14 days in jail. In 1964, she graduated with a B.S. in Po- litical Science from Florida A & M University, and, in 1968, earned her J.D. from Florida A & M University, College of Law. After graduation, she worked as a legal assistant to State Representative Joe
Lang Kershaw, the first African-American to serve in Tallahassee since Recon- struction. Later, when no law firm would hire her, she took out a $1,000 bank loan and opened her solo practice of law. In 1991, she was a founder in the law firm of Stewart Joyner Jordan- Holmes Holmes. She became the first black woman to practice law in Hillsborough County and the first Black to practice law in Polk County. She was also the first Black woman to practice law in Hillsborough County and continues to practice after more than 50 years.
Among the many accom- plishments Senator Joyner has accomplished, she be- came the first Black woman to serve as State Representa- tive and the first Black woman to serve as State Sen- ator representing Hillsbor- ough County.
Norma And Joseph Robinson Library At Sulphur Springs
JOSEPH AND NORMA ROBINSON
On August 26, 2010, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted to rename two public libraries. One of the libraries was the College Hill Public Library, renamed the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr., Public
Library. The second library to undergo a name change was the Sulphur Springs Public Library. It was re- named the Norma and Joseph Robinson Partner- ship Library at Sulphur Springs.
PAGE 6-C FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2022