Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 11-26-19

Editorial/Column
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Buy Black
“Be Black, Buy Black, Think Black and everything else will take care of itself.”
~ Marcus Garvey mpowered
Greetings. Today, I want to encourage you to BUY BLACK during this holiday season. Why, you may ask? The reason is that you have the power to keep a Black business alive and thriving.
Your money is the heart that pumps blood into a Black business and the Black community. For we know that when the heart stops, the body dies. If we become solely dependent on others outside of the Black community to keep
us alive, we will soon die. So, your money spent in your community, with your people, could very well be the lifeline needed to revive us.
Your money could cause a surge in Black economic development. Your money could help bring down the Black unemployment rate. Your money empowers more Blacks to become successful. Your money can cause things to be the change that Blacks want to see.
Your money keeps things moving forward. Your money talks and everything else walks. It’s time to stop talking about it and be about doing what it takes for our people to rise up. As a people, we are
more powerful than we have ever been taught to believe. Together, we can accomplish what we will.
Your money, when concentrated through the right channels, will demand others that have overlooked you to take notice and respect the power you possess. Your money can cause a paradigm shift in the distribution of wealth. Your money speaks volumes, even when your words are few.
This is a clarion call. Start today and continue from this day forward to Be Black, Buy Black and Think Black and watch everything else that takes place.
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For more inspiration, tips tools and strategies for success in life and business sign up for Selphenia’s FREE Success Made Simple E-zine at http://bit.ly/successmadesim plenews.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Thank You, Jeff Vinik
ot only on behalf of the Black community, but on
behalf of the legacy and integrity of the entire city of Tampa, we thank local businessman Jeff Vinik, owner of the Lightning Hockey Team, and friends for stepping up to the plate, and hitting a homerun that will have saved the beleaguered Jackson House.
In case you haven’t’ heard, Vinik committed up- wards to $1 million to refurbish one of Black Tampa’s most enduring icons. But perhaps, you’re not familiar with this two-story rooming house located nearly di- rectly across the street from Tampa Union Station.
This place called the Jackson House served as a way-station and hotel for Black celebrities when they came to perform on legendary Central Avenue.
James Brown slept at the Jackson House . . . Ella Fitzgerald wrote music on its kitchen table. The list of greats included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who poked his knees more than once under its spacious dinner table. But times change.
Segregation was supplanted by integration and the lights and livelihood of Central Avenue went out. So did the usefulness of the Jackson House.
In stepped Jeff Vinik, white entrepreneur and phi- lanthropist with an interest in local history, and who liked the project that was embraced with advice and assistance from Mayor Castor, members from the local NAACP, as well as other organizations and indi- viduals who, for years were committed to what was a struggle and now is a dream set to come true.
Why did Vinik cast such bread upon the waters? Only closed doors and history will know. But for now, the most sincere thing we can think to say is “Thank you ever so much.”
Dr. Collins Speaks At Jackson House Following $1 Million Donation
he Vinik Family
Foundation has committed up to $1 million in funding in support of the Jackson House Foundation to restore the Jackson Rooming House and preserve the meaningful local history that the house represents. “As Tampa continues to grow and change, it is critical that we invest in preserving the unique and valuable history of those who laid the foundation for our progress,” said Jeff Vinik. “Tampa’s diversity is our most valuable asset.”
Through a partnership with Mayor Jane Castor, the Jackson House Foundation, led by past NAACP President Dr. Carolyn Hepburn Collins, will be seeking additional grant funding for the project. “First and foremost thank you to the Vinik’s for their very generous donation and their commitment to preserving this historic landmark,” said Mayor Jane Castor.
“It’s impossible to put a
dollar amount on the preservation of Tampa’s rich history. Throughout the city we are extremely excited by new development that is activating our once blighted areas but we must celebrate and respect the pioneers that built our great city.”
The Jackson Rooming House was built in 1901 by Moses and Sarah Jackson and operated as a boarding house for African Americans and other travelers during the era of racial segregation. The Jackson House hosted many prominent entertainers such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole as they passed through Central Avenue which served as a thriving black business district leading up to the 1960’s. Martin Luther King paid a visit to the Jackson House in 1961.
The Jackson House closed in 1989 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The grandson of Moses and Sarah
Jackson, Willie Robinson, Jr., launched the Jackson House Foundation, a Florida non-profit 501c3, and advocated for the restoration of the house leading up to his passing earlier this year.
In 2017, with the assistance of a Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero award, the Jackson House Foundation worked with local engineers to stabilize the house but the condition of the structure has since worsened.
Dr. Carolyn Hepburn Collins has been leading the effort to preserve the Jackson House since February of 2013 when, as acting NAACP President, Dr. began working with Mr. Robinson and countless community leaders on a path forward.
After leaving leadership, the unanimously voted to allow Dr. Collins to continue to lead the project and has served as chair for the Jackson House Foundation since. “On behalf of the Jackson House Foundation Board of Directors, we are eternally grateful for the generous time and resources that have made saving the Jackson House a reality,” said board chair Dr. Carolyn Hepburn Collins. “From the support of Mayor Castor and the city council, to the infusion of critical support from Mr. and Mrs. Vinik, we are thankful and we encourage everyone to join this effort to preserve our history.”
NAACP board
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PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2019