Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-26-19

Local Feature
Political Power Couples Topic Of Black History Program
Trinity CME Church will host the final session of its Black History Lecture Series on Tuesday, February 26th, at 7 p.m. in its sanctuary at 2401 North Howard Avenue.
County Commissioner Les Miller and his wife, for- mer City of Tampa Council- woman Gwen Miller will make a presentation high- lighting behind the scenes challenges, maneuvers, com- promises and issues faced by minority elected officials who also share matrimony simul- taneously.
The couple will also re- ceive a Political Power Couple Award from the church recog- nizing their combined 51 years of service to the Tampa Bay Area.
From 1992-2016, both Les Miller and his wife, Gwen Miller, served as elected officials for the Florida Legislature, the Hills- borough, County Commis- sion, and the Tampa City
COMMISSIONER LES MILLER, JR.
Council. Commissioner Miller has served a total of 27 years as an elected official.
The likelihood of a hus- band and wife both serving in an elected capacity at the same time is very rare to say the least. However, there have been father-son, mother-son, father-daughter, mother-daughter, and sibling elected officials serving at the same time in New York, Ari- zona, and Florida.
According to sources, in
GWENDOLYN MILLER Former City Councilwoman
the 1990s, there was a Repub- lican power couple in Con- gress at the same time. Representative Susan Molinari and her husband, Bill Paxton, both served in Congress.
Locally, Commissioner Miller and former City Councilwoman Gwen Miller were the first Black, married couple to both hold elected offices simultane- ously, perhaps in the state. The couple has helped many
Author Pens Black History Book For Elementary Minds
TIMOTHY E. HODGES ...Author and Playwright
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Author Timothy E. Hodges has a love of Black History. He also wants to make sure young people know about Black History.
He pinned his most recent Black History book – Imagine This... African-American Inno- vators – for elementary-aged students.
The 60-page book “features several innovators whose names may not be household words like Daniel Hale Williams or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” he said.
The book highlights the grand achievements of Black Inventors and Innovators who managed to overcome the odds and impacted modern medi- cine, and technology in some form or fashion.
There are snippets on such persons as George Alcorn, scientist, Marie Van Brittan- Brown, who wired and con- nected a security system, and Rufus Stokes who is credited with the invention of the air purifier.
Those innovators featured are listed in alphabetical order with their photos, date of birth/date, and photos of the item they are credited with in- venting.
What makes the book ap- pealing to elementary age stu- dents is the large, easy to read print and the short snippets.
The book, published by Soul City Magazine, is available by calling (863) 214-7774, or soulcitypublishing@gmail.com
Front Cover Of Book
, or on Amazon for a very small fee.
Additionally, Hodges in- cluded in the book, attach- ments: match puzzles, crossword puzzles, complete the sentence and word search puzzles that the young people can complete after reading the book, further increasing their knowledge of Black History.
In the closing pages of the book, Hodges says: “Imagine This... With knowledge, you will find your imagination is the adventure inside your mind. Imagine all you can be, as endless as the waves of the sea. There is no end to the list, when you imagine this.”
Another one of his books is Imagine This - Advanced for ages 11-18 challenges every stu- dent to take a stand
by changing ‘can’t to can.’
It examines in depth the
achievements of great people who could have allowed ex- cuses to crush their dreams, but succeeded.
Hodges, a playwright, has performed on the stages of many popular venues as well as college campuses. His accom- plishments have been featured in national and international publications.
Power Couples cont.
organizations, community groups, and constituents re- solve problems. Moreover, they have helped raise money and secured state funds for or- ganizations that provide com- munity services.
We want to highlight their
continued contributions to the Tampa Bay area.
The event, hosted by Trin- ity CME Pastor Alton Mc- Griff, is open to the public. Questions about the event may be directed to 813-310- 0994.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019