Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 1-5-16 Edition

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Group Leader, Activist Want Answers On West Tampa Mural
Tampa Reality TV Star Writes Documentary
DEE JACKSON
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
For decades, Community Activist, Dwight Bolden, and West Tampa Alliance Vice President, Dee Jack- son have seen residents in West Tampa take full ad- vantage of the E. J. Salcines Park on the corner of Main Street and Howard Avenue.
The park has been the scene of several events, in- cluding groups feeding homeless people, checker matches, and even music.
With West Tampa being targeted as an area for rede- velopment, concern rose over the future of the park after Bolden and Jack- son noticed some city offi- cials and a new West Tampa businessman at the park two weeks ago. The next week, a crew from the city cut down several trees at the park.
“We think the commu- nity has a right to know what’s going on with E. J. Salcines Park,” said Bolden.
“They really want to know the status of the mural painted on the south wall of a building adjacent to the park. We believe city officials need to come out and tell the people what their plans are for the park.”
According to City Council
Chair Frank Reddick’s
office, the trees were cut down because they are out- dated, and new ones will be planted. Also, the city will be repairing the tables and chairs at the park, pressure washing the entire area, and installing new tables and chairs.
It was also reported that Robert Morris, a new business owner on Main Street, wanted to use the
DWIGHT BOLDEN
wall the mural is on to ad- vertise his business and was told it couldn’t be done, be- cause the mural is on city property and it would be against city code to do that.
Tina Young, Director of Project Link, has been con- tacted about the status of the mural as it was a group of students through that or- ganization that painted it on the side of the building.
Efforts are underway through some West Tampa organizations to help raise the funds to get that project done as soon as possible.
Bolden said the mural shows the modern day his- tory of the African Ameri- can community in West Tampa, and it’s vital that it be maintained.
“I would like to be a part of the meeting with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department after the holi- days when discussions begin on the park. I think community input is vital.”
The West Tampa Al- liance is planning some events at the park, and want to embrace the His- panic community in a part- nership on restoring the mural and keeping the park clean.
“There’s also a plan to film a documentary on the African American history of West Tampa and the mural will be a part of the docu- mentary,” said Jackson.
“The project will include every aspect of West Tampa, and be very power- ful in the impact it will have on current projects, espe- cially the redevelopment plan for the area. Right now, we need to focus on areas that have been wiped out and we need more peo- ple who know the history of West Tampa and the resi- dents to step forward.”
Patrick “Tango” Hunter has kept himself quite busy since appearing on television in a reality se- ries.
Tango said he’s been working on a lot of projects, but the one that he treas- ures the most is a documen- tary he wrote and narrated called “Shade.”
“A paper bag would be held against your skin. If you were darker than the paper bag, you weren’t ad- mitted. That was written by Marita Golden, the au- thor of “Don’t Play In the Sun: One Woman’s Jour- ney Through the Color Complex.”
“The issue of racism is something we are still try- ing to rectify collectively as a society. It undeniably has affected our judicial system, our work force and even our financial and political land- scape.”
Tango said underneath that issue is a hidden prob- lem: the struggle within, called colorism.
“Colorism is described as prejudice or discrimination
PATRICK “TANGO” HUNTER
against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group, more prominently within the African American commu- nity.
“In the case of colorism in the African American community, many would claim that the center of racial bigotry and discrimi- nation the true fight against today’s racism starts within the community itself.”
In the documentary, “Shade,” the question is asked, “Are we our own worst enemy?”
The documentary will also shed light on the col- orism issue, explore when it originated, decode its derogatory nature, and at- tempt to stimulate the dis- course necessary to transcend and transform the issues of racism and bigotry, one of the most challenging socio-economic issues facing our common humanity, into issues of ac- tualization of our society’s full human potential.
Among the topics and discussions in the film will be, How did colorism sur- face?; Colorism’s roots in slavery; Colorism disadvan- tages dark-skinned people, while privileging those with lighter skin, and the endur- ing legacy of colorism in modern day America.
“The documentary will be broken down into segments that will cover every aspect of African American cul- ture,” said Tango.
“The documentary will be viewed on VH1 Networks at a future date, and will be the first in a series of pro- ductions I’m working on.”
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