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Editorials/Columns
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
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Black Boys Can Go From Victims To Victors
ast week I wrote Black
Boys Are Victims, Too. It was noted that these boys are victimized by their families, their crime infested neighbor- hoods, their poor economic upbringing and the lack of an emphasis on education have all combined to truly make some Black boys victims.
But they don’t have to stay that way. They can rise to a level of being the victors over their lives.
Many successful Black men came out of these same condi- tions. Black boys should look at these men as examples that it doesn’t matter where you come from, it is where you are going that is important. Just as important is the belief that it doesn’t matter where you start, rather it is where you end up.
Where you are going and
where you end up depends on what you do on your way there. As soon as they get old enough to know the difference, they should do their best to separate themselves from any- one who doesn’t have their best interest in mind.
A major step comes when these Black boys enter kinder- garten. These kids need at least one good teacher that they like and one good teacher who has a no non-sense class- room policy that makes him or her a little less likeable.
The likeable teachers re- mind students how much fun school can be. The so-called no non-sense type teachers re- mind students of how taxing school can be. These boys should do their best in school at all times but, as they enter high school they really have
some serious thinking to do. They have to consider if they finish school, what are the chances that they will be able to go to a college or a trade school. They have to keep in mind that those with a trade or a degree make more money than those who have neither.
Another option would be to find someone who owns a trade business and try to get hired.
You won’t make as much money as the owner, but don’t worry about that. The main thing is for these boys to learn all they can about the trade and most importantly, learn to be a professional at that trade.
The only other alternative is to become a hoodlum and join some other hoodlums in walking the streets, with your pants hanging below your butt, playing loud music, and creat- ing problems for all the neigh- borhoods they infested.
Young men, there are ways out. It is up to you. You don’t need to spend your life wan- dering aimlessly through the street; just waiting to go to prison.
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Farewell To A Tampa Heroine
ollywood had its Katharine Hepburn. But Tampa
had its Helen Gordon Davis. And in a time when songs were written about Betty Davis’ eyes, the capti- vating gaze of our own Helen Gordon Davis, as she not only set fashions, but fought for the rights of women and minorities throughout the State of Florida, served to make her not only a local star, but an American leg- end.
Yes, she paid her dues. This Jewish-American princess who received her royalty by refusing to be de- stroyed by her family’s poverty came to Tampa politics and hit it with a glamorous ballpein hammer.
A member of the Tampa-Hillsborough Urban League, first white woman to join the local NAACP, first Hillsborough woman to be elected to the State House, and powerhouse member of Tampa’s League of Women Voters, one of the things people most remember about the unflappable Ms. “HGD” is how she opened up her home, as well as her mind, and tirelessly worked to bring down the walls of Tampa-Hillsborough-and Florida racism, sexism, and economic inequality.
But amidst her Betty Davis poise and MGM grandeur, we will always remember her flashy Gucci edition Cadillac that she used to tear around town, and the way she addressed everyone as “Darling” (pro- nounced “Dah-ling” like Dietrich would have said it). So, farewell, Helen Gordon Davis, you are gone, but in a world that has a hunger for heroines and heroes, you will never be forgotten.
An Honest Assessment
few weeks ago, my edi- tor asked me to write a piece about a Stop The Vio- lence rally that was being or- ganized by popular community activists with sponsorship from several Tampa area businesses. Un- fortunately, I didn't adhere to
the request.
My decision not to comply
wasn't based on me engaging in an act of defiance. In actual- ity, it was my way of showing respect to the organizers. With the event steeped in positivity, I didn't want to place anything into the atmosphere that could be misconstrued as negative criticism of the people bring- ing the activity together.
It isn't that I don't support the cause. The brutal murder of innocence is definitely something we should be at- tempting to reduce. I just lack faith that these types of re- hashed strategies can be effec- tive.
Just like the gun-buy-back programs and the occasional marches through drug infested neighborhoods, stop the vio- lence rallies, to me, are equiv-
alent to applying ice and band- aids to shotgun wounds. The truth is, after the cameras are gone and the politicians in at- tendance return to the safety of their own secure communi- ties, our sons and daughters remain just as susceptible to the violence inside the envi- ronments in which they navi- gate.
This is mainly because, like I've stated on numerous occa- sions in the past, the people re- sponsible for the terror and the bloodshed aren't willing par- ticipants in the solution.
The individuals doing the killing aren't thinking about brotherly love, pleas for peace, or the effort people like Di- anne Hart, Tonya Lewis, Ebone Cruz and others put towards making a difference. They could care less about the pain they inflict, the destruc- tion they cause or the lives being lost.
To them, the speeches, the music, the poetry and the tears are just free forms of enter- tainment until the sun goes down and they can return to the business of the streets. In
their eyes, the rally is nothing more than an amusing distrac- tion that leaves about as much of an impression on their psy- che as a glass of water.
Of course, I understand the need that some people feel to do something, anything to pre- vent the carnage. But simply standing in front of a micro- phone and stating that vio- lence has to be stopped to a crowd of people who already agree, doesn't seem like the most viable way to slow down the slaughter.
Since much of the killing that transpires is being perpe- trated by our youth on our youth, maybe we should be having "Do a Better Job Raising Your Damn Kids" rallies instead. After all, the truth none of us can deny is the very large role poor parent- ing plays in the problem.
We can never expect to completely stop what's been occurring on this planet since Kane killed Abel. But, if we can somehow get people to in- still into their children a sense of value for all life, it may go a long way towards giving all of us a better chance at survival.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. Anyone wishing to contact Clarence Barr can email him at: realityon- ice@yahoo.com.
Black Americans Should Focus On Mental Health
father (call him Bob) hid the fact that his son, (call him Junior), had attempted suicide from his own father out of shame. In fact, the grandfather (call him Albertus) still doesn’t know the reason for his grandson’s hospitalization. This scenario plays out daily with different names across Black America at an
alarmingly increasing rate.
Consequently, because May is Mental Health and
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Awareness Month, we encourage you, and religious leaders, as well as civic organizations to focus attention on mental health and the need for Black people to rid our commu- nities of the stigma, embarrassment, and denial that prevent millions of Black people from seeking or admit- ting to psycho-analytical counseling.
When reviewing data compiled by mental health or- ganizations regarding mental health among African Americans, the facts are sobering. Consider, women and Black people are 20% more likely to report major psychological distress; less than 8% of Black people seek treatment compared to 14% of the general popula- tion; and between 29 to 50 percent of Black male and female prison inmates have been diagnosed with BPD.
Black people living below poverty are two to three times more likely to suffer psy- chological stress. Black teens are more likely to attempt suicide, and adult Black peo- ple are more likely to have feelings of sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness. (Given our history of slavery, discrimination, and disenfranchisement, we wonder why.).
Thus, this year’s theme, “B4stage 4,” focuses on how people can address their men- tal health early rather than at Stage 4, when symptoms are more severe (suicide, crime, violence, etc.). Only we can save us!
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