Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 3-11-16 Edition

Editorials
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
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Features
City CFO 1st Black Nominated For Prestigious Board
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Recently, the Chief Finan- cial Officer for the City of Tampa was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Hancock Holding Com- pany. Current board member Anthony Topazi announced he does not plan to seek re- election. The decision will be made at the annual meeting on April 21st.
If chosen, Ms. Sonya Lit- tle will become the first Black Director to serve on the board and the second woman. The term is for a 3-year period.
When contacted by the Sentinel about her nomina- tion, Ms. Little said, “I’m pleased to be considered. It will be a great experience and I fully intend to do my best for the organization and am hope- ful the shareholders will move forward with the election.
MS. SONYA LITTLE Chief Financial Officer for the City of Tampa
“I am delighted the bank has a strong interest in the Tampa Bay area and I’m look- ing forward to being a part of that initiative,” Ms. Little said.
In a press release announc- ing the nomination, Chair- man James Estabrook said, “Sonya’s extensive and diverse mix of experience
makes her well qualified to serve as a member of our Board of Directors.
“By virtue of her expertise in financial, operational, strategic, governance and reg- ulatory matters she will imme- diately become a valued member of our board upon election by our shareholders at the annual meeting.”
A graduate of the Univer- sity of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management, Ms. Little was hired as the CFO for the City in May 2011. In her current role, she oversees the operating budget of more than $850 million, has a staff of more than 90 employees, and a debt portfolio of more than $900 million. She is also re- sponsible for overseeing the departments of Accounting, Grant Management, Invest- ments, and the Pension fund Administration.
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Opinions expressed on editorial pages of this newspaper by Columnists or Guest Writers, do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Florida Sentinel Bulletin or the Publisher.
A Call To The Women Of America
omen of America, you now have an opportunity to
do, see, and feel the spirit of a new day in our nation. But the question we ask at this moment is shall you be bam- boozled and hoodwinked out of your date with destiny?
Yes, we understand what many are telling you . . . that your votes should not be cast simply for gender. We under- stand when you are warned during this presidential election that you should not be swayed by the fact that one front-run- ner happens to be female, though she is imminently quali- fied. But do you remember those years when your grandmothers and great grandmothers were denied the right to vote? Have you forgotten the pain, anguish and even death your ancestors braved to cast an election ballot?
This is our advice: do not be swayed by silver-tongues who would have you ignore your time to lead America. Do not be fooled by people who say they mean you well, but who for their own misguided reasons would rob you of your right to have a woman make America whole again.
No, we will not tell you for whom to vote. But what we will tell you is to use your memory and your common sense. This is your time. This is your vote. Women of America, the eyes of the world are upon you. Make history, and with one voice liberate our land from America’s oldest form of dis- crimination.
Parents Of Teenager Killed After Leaving Fairgrounds Disappointed With DOJ Decision
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Tuesday, just outside of the Florida State Fairgrounds, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew (Deanna) Joseph, Jr. stood with U. S. Representative Alan Grayson.
Rep. Grayson announced that the U. S. Department of Justice said they will not inves- tigate the circumstances in- volving the death of Andrew Joseph, III.
The 14-year-old was ejected from the Florida State Fair on Student Day in 2014 and died trying to cross Inter- state 4.
On February 18th, Assistant Attorney General Peter J. Kadzik responded to Rep. Grayson and told him that “accident, mistake, fear, negli- gence, or bad judgment are not sufficient to establish a willful federal criminal civil rights vi- olation.
Rep. Grayson, who is running in a battle for the Democratic Party’s nomina- tion for the U. S. Senate, told the Josephs he would contact Attorney General Loretta Lynch and call on the federal government to investigate the case.
Kadzik, however, did say the DOJ’s Special Litigation Section will consider his letter in determining whether to in-
Standing just across the street from the Florida State Fair- grounds are (left to right): Andrew Joseph, Jr., Deanna Joseph, and Rep. Alan Grayson.
vestigate the Hillsborough county Sheriff’s Department, specifically on allegations the department engages in racial profiling, lacks proper law en- forcement preparation, and is negligent.
Mrs. Joseph said they were told there’s a higher bu- reau of truth needed.
“We were given other rea- sons as to why the Department of Justice won’t look into what happened with Andrew.
“With that said we looked at it, and we know the Sheriff’s Office will be investigated and we will hold them to that. Once that investigation is underway, they will quickly uncover past acts of racial disparities.”
Mrs. Joseph said they were very disappointed with
the decision by the Depart- ment of Justice but at least now all the cases will be re- viewed.
“We will continue to seek justice for our son and others who’ve met similar fates. We’re going to travel to Wash- ington, D.C. to do some lobby- ing and we hope to meet with Rep. Grayson again.
Last month, the Josephs filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida State Fair Authority, and the Hillsborough County School District.
“It’s been two years, and I haven’t been able to get a copy of the police report,” said An- drew, Jr.
Black Votes Matter
istorians have become more confident to conclude
that had it not been for Black Americans’ block vote, President Barack Obama’s ascendency to the White House may not have been assured. So, if you’re Black and happen to be a registered voter, don’t play yourself cheap in the up- coming Florida March 15th primary for presidential candi- dates.
Indeed, Black voters cannot afford to sit out this election. The reasons are obvious. Black and Latin-Hispanic votes are needed even more in 2016 than they were needed during 2008 and 2012 when President Obama was campaigning for office. Add to this the fact that the list of recent Republican presidential hopefuls are so scary, one Florida newspaper has refused to endorse any of them.
Furthermore, the prospect of having a bully in the White House who’s rumored to sleep with speeches of a Nazi dic- tator on his bed stand should terrify Black voters enough to send us scurrying to the polls. And because several early vot- ing precincts are located in predominantly Black communi- ties (West Tampa and East Tampa), Black people who will be working on Tuesday March 15th, can vote on Saturday, March 12th.
Lest we forget, the leading Republican candidate is one who has spoken disparagingly about women, people with disabilities, immigrants, Mexicans, and has bragged about killing innocent members of terrorists’ families as well as having encouraged the use of violence against protestors who disagreed with him. And here lately, is reputed to order people who attend his rallies to raise their right hands in a Fascist-like pledge to vote for him alone.
So, do we need anyone to remind us how critical it is for Black Americans to vote? If so, we urge all of our readers to make sure you vote by March 15th. Vote as if the life of Amer- ica depends on how you cast your ballot . . . because it does!
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PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2016