Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 9-14-18

Editorial/Columns
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
(USPS 202-140)
2207 21st Avenue, Tampa Florida 33605 • (813) 248-1921 Published Every Tuesday and Friday By
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHING Co., Member of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
S. KAY ANDREWS, PUBLISHER
C. BLYTHE ANDREWS III, PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER ALLISON WELLS-CLEBERT, CFO
GWEN HAYES, EDITOR
IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR
BETTY DAWKINS, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR HAROLD ADAMS, CIRCULATION MANAGER TOYNETTA COBB, PRODUCTION MANAGER LAVORA EDWARDS, CLASSIFIED MANAGER
Subscriptions-$44.00-6 Months Both Editions: $87.00-Per Year Both Editions.
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.
Becoming The Black G. O. A. T. Ain't Easy
often get criticized by people who say that I view many of the controver- sial issues that occur in this country through a racial lens. They tell me that every slight toward a person born with melanin isn't necessarily the result of color bias and that all so-called "white" people aren't inclined to base their personal decisions on how much the person they're dealing with resembles their
own physical appearance. While I have no problem admitting that both of those schools of thought could be accurate, it doesn't change the reality that on many oc- casions race does play a key factor in the way situations pan out. And what happened to Serena Williams during the U. S. Open final last weekend is a prime example
of that truth.
When Serena was pe-
nalized a game (which ended up costing her a victory) for berating an official it was an unprecedented move on one of the biggest stages in the tennis world. Taking away a point would have been one thing, but Umpire Carlos Ramos giving a game ad- vantage to Serena's oppo- nent, Naomi Osaka, with a grand slam title at stake, was unconscionable.
In the heat of the moment Serena passionately argued that the decision was moti- vated by sexism, that had she been a male competitor her emotional outburst would have been handled differ- ently. Though her assess- ment of the situation may have been on point, to a cer-
tain degree, a larger part of why she appeared to be treated unfairly may have been rooted in the fact that a Serena victory would have also moved her one-step closer to breaking the all- time record for most major victories that is currently held by Marjorie Court.
Serena's biggest infrac- tion didn't involve her coach sending her signals, smash- ing her racket or insulting an umpire. The violation that Serena paid the price for stems from the constant threat she presents to the legacy of tennis by poten- tially making her Black face the gold-standard, in a sport where white faces have tradi- tionally dominated, for decades to come.
As much as Serena is admired for her accomplish- ments some tennis purists aren't ready to give her that kind of immortality. And, as we've now been shown, they'll try just about anything to make sure she doesn't reach that hallowed plateau.
This, unfortunately, isn't anything new. It is what typ- ically happens to Black ath- letes when they approach certain milestones.
That is mainly due to the accepted notion that part of cherished Americana in- volves the revering of iconic white athletes. And when- ever someone emerges that has the potential of erasing these beloved white heroes from the record books, the fear that ensues causes those within sporting establish- ments to take whatever pre- cautions they feel are
necessary to prevent that erasure from happening.
They don't mind a Black athlete being great. That's good for business. But to have one being deemed the greatest disrupts the narra- tive that has been created defining who's most superior at a particular skill.
In the past we've seen this sort of thing affect the ca- reers of individuals like Joe Lewis, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather, who could never escape the shadow of Rocky Marciano in box-
ing.We saw it with Hank Aaron, whose achievements in baseball were always con- sidered lesser than Babe Ruth's. And it's always been puzzling to most NBA fans how Jerry West became the logo for the league while individuals like Wilt Cham- berlin, Kareem Abdul- Jabar and Oscar Robertson consistently forced onlookers to re-imag- ine their belief of what was possible while watching their play.
You could throw Tiger Woods into the equation. But his failure to catch Jack Nicklaus may be more at- tributable to him purposely waddling in mediocrity in an effort to maintain his well- behaved-Negro status.
Now, with Serena in the midst of chasing history, it seems as though a plan is in place to thwart her ascension as well. Though her strong determination gives hope that she'll one day reach the mountain top, in spite of the obstacles being formed against her, what occurred in Flushing Meadows was a clear indication that her quest to leave no doubt about her being the Greatest Of All Time won't get any easier.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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)
Celebrating The Words Spoken By Our People
ot knowing, the local language can get you in a
whole lot of trouble. Just ask former U. S. Presi- dential candidate Jesse Jackson what happened when he visited Tampa and addressed his possible Tampa constituents with, “it’s wonderful being here in Tampa with all the ‘Tampons!’” It was all in good fun, but only a few found it funny.
So, we congratulate local Black Tampa historian Fred Hearns who, in a recent news article, took it upon himself to explain the legacy of Tampa language, (es- pecially Black Tampa dialect as such).
A gumbo of tongues including smatterings of South Carolina Gullah, Tarpon Springs Greek, Georgia Brogue, Cuban Caribbean and New Orleans Creole, Black Tampa dialect brings to boil with a taste of Sicil- ian-Italian, Old-world Spanish, and backwoods Florida Crackerisms all brought to bear by an ever-present African sing-song heritages that colors almost every syllable with a down home blues.
But we are at our best in the presentation of our words. . words, like “fi’nduh” (fixing to), “ret-naah” (right now), “Belmun” (Belmont), “All-benny” (Al- bany), and “thoo,” (through) to mention only a few of an endless list.
Ask people like Ms. Doris Reddick, former Hillsbor- ough School Board member, to share with you her en- cyclopedic history of Black Tampa language, or ask individuals like former President of FAMU, Dr. Walter Smith, Sr., to regale what he knows in the local lan- guage he learned. And, when you are “thoo,” be sure to thank Fred Hearns for reminding the world that there’s a proper way to speak Tampa’s Black Dialect.
N
I
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A