Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 2-14-17

Editorials/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.
She Won’t Get Away
ow. That was the first
word that came from my mouth after I read that Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who set into motion the events that ultimately led to Emmett Till's murder, admit-
ted to lying about everything. According to Donham, in an interview for a book about Till's murder, the story she told her husband and to the court, concerning the lewd ges- tures Till allegedly made to- ward her inside of her shop, never actually happened. As it turns out, Till didn't pay her
much attention at all.
The newspaper article does-
n't explain why she fabricated the incident. But since she was, more than likely, well aware of the consequences that would befall Till, based on her accu- sations. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that her ac- tions were motivated by an un- quenchable thirst for blood.
To me, Donham's confes- sion is devastating on a number of levels. Not only does it stand as a gross example of the extent of human treachery, but it also forces us to reflect on the thou-
sands of Black men over the decades who were turned into strange hanging fruit due to the same kind of blatant deceitful- ness.
It's beyond gut wrenching to think that a young boy was snatched from his bed in the middle of the night, beaten, mutilated, shot and drowned all because a sick-minded woman, who knew that the mere insinuation of his dark- skin being in forbidden prox- imity to her own fair complexion would lead to his destruction, was seeking a twisted form of entertainment.
The worse part of it all is that 60 years after the brutal car- nage she inspired, and even in light of her coming forth with the truth, she'll still be able to walk away from the drama she caused with little more than a guilty conscience.... But that's only if she feels any guilt at all.
For all we know, at age 82, her coming forward now could be her way of tearing open a painful wound simply so she could pour more salt into it on her way out the door. A gesture meant to drive a knife further
into the hearts of those of us who still can't view pictures of Emmett Till's lifeless body without our eyes becoming a little moist.
In 1955, her words carried enough weight to send a 14- year-old boy to his grave. Now with those same thin, pale lips she's instilling an even deeper amount of pain by letting us know that she helped facilitate the crime and the expiration of an innocent, young, Black soul purely out of spite.
Personally, I would love to see her experience, at least, some form of punishment be- fore she leaves Earth. Even though it wasn't her hands that directly did Till the most harm, it was her lies that got the ball rolling. And, for that alone, she deserves to suffer.
But something tells me, for all of her dastardly deeds, any- thing we do to her here will pale in comparison to what she has coming when her eyes close for the last time. She may have got- ten away on this physical plane of existence. But, on the one that follows, where there's no complexion that offers protec- tion, I doubt she'll be so lucky.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can write to Mr. Barr at: Clarence Barr 43110-018, Oakdale F. C. I., P. O. BOX 5000, Oak- dale, LA 71463.
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
W
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Florida State Fair: A Friendly Reminder
s there anyone for no good reason who doesn’t love the
Florida State Fair? If so, you can bet your life they’re not children ages 2 to 21. And some people say that’s where the trouble begins because sometimes, children – especially mobs of children who are unsupervised – may like fairs so much – too much – that their excitement gets the better of them, and they (you guessed it) misbehave, making the expe- rience of State Fairs not memories to cherish, but incidents that would best be forgotten.
Such was the tragedy what seems like yesterday when a Hillsborough County teenager got separated from his friends during a melee at the fairgrounds, and attempting to leave the premises, crossed a busy highway and was struck down by a speeding car.
Tears flowed; accusations came down like rain, but nei- ther apology nor invective could bring back a father’s son from the jaws of death unnecessarily unleashed at the gates of the Florida State Fair.
We will not make judgment. But, it could have been your son or daughter. And where were you, anyway? Why weren’t you there on the midway when your young tough decided to turn fun into fiasco?
So, heed our advice: If you can’t accompany your children to the Fair, then keep your children home. No amount of “sent-money” or “have-a-good-time” is worth your child’s life or livelihood.
I
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
If I Were Barack Obama Or Hillary Clinton, I’d Put America Under ‘Do Not Answer’
BY MICHAEL ARCENEAUX
hen I saw the image of former Presi-
dent Barack Obama in flip-flops, shorts and a backward cap, along with his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, in the short- est of shorts, walking across the beach, I was re- lieved for them. They served this country well for eight years --- even when millions of its citizens blatantly disrespected them for no other reason than that the hue of their skin made them anti- thetical to the virtues of their America.
So much so that Obama’s successor is the most unqualified president in U. S. history; a man who is small by every measure who won, largely, because he sold his supporters the notion that he could restore the nation to the lily-white land of yore.
So, mere days into 45’s administration, the same mediocrity and monstrosity that followed him in his private life and professional dealings have unsurprisingly followed him into the White House.
The man told the electorate exactly who he was, and they chose him anyway. Now that the sky has cracked and pieces have begun to fall, po- litical journalists along with average citizens have been calling on former President Obama to speak up. So he did, 10 days after leaving office - -- which, in some respect, felt hasty—to disavow the travel ban targeted to immigrants from pri- marily Muslim nations.
The statement was appreciated, but make no mistake: Obama may speak out when it suits him as promised following the election, but he owes this country nothing. Not while on vacation. Not after eight years of service to a sizably un- grateful nation. Not less than a month after leav- ing office.
To quote DMX, “What these bitches want
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON
from a nigga?” Feel free to pour bleach to remove the stain of misogyny, but after you do, wrap yourself around the sentiment. Squeeze it tight.
Similarly, on the day of the Women’s March on Washington and subsequent days after, quite a few called on former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to also engage and help the resistance. Typically, after an election, the losing presidential candidate goes off and finds some business. While we are undeniably liv- ing in unique and increasingly dire circum- stances, not only do I question the push for Clinton to more aggressively speak out against the antics of this amateurish administration, but I also worry about its ineffectiveness this early.
If she were to level stronger statements against Tropicana Jong-il, all that would do is invite comment from a man who can’t seem to es- cape campaign mode for the kind of needless pub- lic feuds he’s known for courting. No. 45 would foam at the mouth at the chance to continue as- sailing her as if he had another chance at losing the popular vote and winning on technicality. So, America may be calling to sing, “Pick up the phone, baby/I know you’re home, baby” to HRC, but I would label that number “Do Not Answer.”
W
A Letter That Stopped The World
ddressed to the Late Strom Thurmond, who was at the
time, Chairman for the Committee of Justice, a letter penned by the Late Coretta Scott King condemned the possi- ble seating of a Jefferson B. Sessions to the seat of Federal District Court Judge for the Southern District of Alabama. The year was 1986.
And though her sentiments were sincere, Sessions was ad- mitted, anyway. Might that be the reason, 31 years later when another woman --- Senator Elizabeth Warren, stood in Sen- ate chambers and read the same letter against the same man (Jefferson Sessions) this time, opposing his confirmation to the post of newly-chosen Attorney General that Republicans silenced Warren simply believing her mentor’s words were old news?
Before you answer, ask the great documents preceding our time if time has diminished them.
Nevertheless, we decided to share with you the portions of Coretta Scott King’s so-called dated letter that caused Eliz- abeth Warren to be censored. It begins, “I write to you to ex- press my sincere opposition to the confirmation of Jefferson B. Sessions as a federal district court judge for the Southern District in Alabama . . .
“Anyone who has used the power of his office as United States Attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot by citizens should not be elected to our courts. Mr. Ses- sions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly Black voters.
“For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be re- warded with a federal judgeship.”
A
Less than a half century later, Elizabeth Warren echoed the same words for similar rea- sons and they didn’t make a difference.
Nevertheless, Sessions was confirmed anyway. Indeed, words of warning are like water on a rock. In time, the rock breaks.