Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 3-4-16 Edition

Local
For This Group, Revolution Means Change
Black Law Students Association Holds Black
History Month Event
On Feb. 17, The Black Law Students Association at WMU-Cooley’s Tampa Bay campus hosted the seminar, “A Guide to Avoiding Issues with the Board of Bar Exam- iners and the Florida Bar: The Top 5 Pitfalls of Both Law Students and Lawyers.”
The guest speakers were Keshara Cowans, bar counsel for the Florida Bar, and Donald A. Smith, partner of Smith, Tozian, Daniel and Davis. They are involved in a case as oppos- ing counsels, but together presented advice on how to avoid issues with The Board of Bar Examiners and The Florida Bar, and on how to achieve success as an attor- ney.
“The top five pitfalls of Florida Bar applicants are lack of candor, academic misconduct, unlawful con- duct, financial irresponsibil- ity, and drug and alcohol dependency,” said Smith, who spoke on behalf of the Florida Bar Board of Gover- nors.
Cowans discussed the Florida Supreme Court’s amendment to the Oath of Admission to the Florida Bar in 2011 due to lack of civility
among lawyers.
“To opposing parties and
their counsel, I pledge fair- ness, integrity, and civility, not only in court, but also in all written and oral commu- nications,” stated Cowans.
Cowans serves on the board of directors for the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers and the Young Lawyers Section of the Orange County Bar Associa- tion. In 2011, Cowans was recognized by the National Bar Association as one of the
Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40. She earned both her undergradu- ate degree and her law de- gree from Florida State University.
Smith is a member of the Hillsborough County Bar As- sociation and the Association of Professional Responsibil- ity of Lawyers. He is admit- ted to the Middle District Court of Florida, the County Bar Association. He received his law degree from Stetson University.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Today’s society has be- come frightened by organized groups that call themselves revolutionaries. To some, that term invokes thoughts of vio- lence and radical rhetoric.
For the New Black Pan- ther Party, revolution means change.
“For us, it means things can’t continue to stay the way they are,” said Ali Muham- mad (Clarence Jones), leader of the Tampa New Black Panther Party.
“What we’re trying to do now is change the way people feel about each other, and get the violence out of our neigh- borhoods.”
Muhammad said this is a critical time in the lives of young Black people, because they are expected to be the leaders of tomorrow.
“We’ve got to create to- morrow’s leaders, and that means they need to be edu- cated, articulate, and re- spected as leaders.
“Our rhetoric may be rad- ical at times, but sometimes that’s the approach you have to take. You have to address injustice no matter who the perpetrators are.”
Muhammad said grow- ing up in Central Park Village put him in the middle of a lot of anger and unrest.
“I noticed how the police were in Central Park every day, and I noticed how they would treat and talk to peo- ple. I also noticed how we treated and talked to them.
“That’s when I realized that something had to
ALI MUHAMMAD (Clarence Jones)
change, and it needed to start with Black people living in- side and outside of Central Park.”
Muhammad said he and the other members will con- tinue to be advocates for jus- tice, and will protest any irregularities in the criminal justice system where the law isn’t being applied equally.
“The New Black Panther Party is seeking to unite peo- ple the way they were in the 1950s and 1960s.
“We welcome anyone and everyone who is frustrated and tired of the double-stan- dards of society, and the dis- respect our elderly citizens must deal with. They are the fountain of wisdom, and that’s who we should be lis- tening to.”
Muhammad, along with members of the Black Guerilla Party, will be uniting with representatives of the Black Lives Matter Movement in April for a protest at Ray- mond James Stadium, the same day of the Beyonce concert.
Pictured (left-right) Jeff Martlew, associate dean at WMU-Coo- ley’s Tampa Bay campus; Jazmin Shorter, president of the Black Law Student Association; Renalia Du Bose, WMU-Cooley professor; Don- ald Smith, partner of Smith, Tozian, Daniel and Davis; Keshara Cow- ans, bar counsel for the Florida Bar; and Amy Bandow, WMU-Cooley assistant director of the Center for Ethics, Service, and Profession- alism.
Early Voting Sites For Presidential Preference Primary Election
Registered voters can cast ballots at any of the following locations during the early voting pe- riod. Early voting began on Monday, February 29th, and ends on Sunday, March 13th.
Voters may also cast ballots at any of the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections offices during normal business hours.
The Early Voting sites in the community are open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Those locations are:
Bloomingdale Public Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Avenue, Valrico;
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr., Public Library, 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd.; Fred B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. 26th Floor;
Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Avenue;
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Avenue;
New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd.;
North Tampa Branch Library, 8916 North Blvd.;
Plant City, Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon Street, Plant City; Riverview Branch Library, 10509 Riverview Drive, Riverview;
Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center, 2514 N. Falkenburg, Rd.;
SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin;
Temple Terrace Public Library, 207 Bullard Parkway, Temple Terrace;
Town N’ Country Regional Library, 7606 Paula Drive, Tampa;
Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library, 11211 Countryway Blvd., Tampa; and West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 W. Union Street.
Voters will be required to provide one or two forms of identification. Acceptable identification
includes: a Florida Driver's License; Florida ID Card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; U. S. Passport; Debit or Credit Card; Military ID; Student ID; Retirement Center ID; Neighborhood Association ID; or Public Assistance ID.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A