Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 3-18-22

Editorial/Column
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: $87.00-Per Year.
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.
The NAACP Is More Relevant
Now Than Ever
s a 60-year old res-
ident born and raised in Tampa, I’ve wit- nessed firsthand the im- pact that the NAACP has had for the Black com- munity over the years. It was the organizers in the NAACP that helped ad- vance political participa- tion and education for us, even while faced with a segregationist govern- ment and the threat of vi- olence from the Ku Klux Klan.
I know many of my peers can still remember the fearlessness required to register our family, friends, and neighbors to vote and advocate for better education during those times.
While our generation fought for a lot of the changes that we see today, we unfortunately witnessed how systemic racism was able to grow in different ways for gen- erations after us.
Some say that the NAACP is too outdated for the modern issues that Black people are currently faced with. But as the times change, it is important that as a com- munity we are able to adapt to new circum- stances while utilizing our strong generational knowledge, networks,
and relationships.
Over the years per-
haps the NAACP has ex- perienced growing pains and different types of leadership. But this new generation of the NAACP has shown the same fear- lessness that was present in the chapter’s early days. This current lead- ership did not hold back at all when groups came together to address Tampa Police Depart- ment’s over- policing of Black neighborhoods. They have also consis- tently advocated to re- duce arrests and suspensions in Hillsbor- ough County Schools and provided community ed- ucation to keep our kids from the school-to- prison pipeline. They are truly doing the work un- apologetically.
Not for nothing, the NAACP hosts THE largest political forums in Hillsborough County, and if you’ve ever at- tended one, there's no way you can deny the rel- evance of this organiza- tion. It seems like almost everyone comes out. Peo- ple my age, along with re- ligious leaders, families, small business owners, young adults, and even young kids in junior high school, who are able to
talk about the issues they care about in such pas- sionate ways, we all come together to talk about solutions and make our voices and per- spectives heard.
And it doesn’t just stop at community dis- cussions, they take ac- tion in alignment with the community’s values. The current president is strong and fearless when advocating issues in the community with state, county, city, and school district. She has a pas- sion that shows she cares and a drive that shows she is a fighter. Under her leadership the Em- powerment Center was able to assist many mi- nority contractors re- ceive contracts. She reconnected the NAACP Hillsborough County Branch with many com- munity groups, and or- ganizations. She has created more partner- ships that have resulted in significant fundraising than in the past.
It was at one of these forums where I realized that Tampa’s NAACP chapter truly has a space and purpose in the mod- ern movement for social justice, and I have re- newed faith that those in- volved and engaged will be able to accomplish even more than it did during the heighten of the Civil Rights Move- ment. There's a saying the old folks used to say, “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” I urge everyone to continue to learn more about the work that is being done and how you can sup- port.
CONNIE BURTON Tampa
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Revenge Of Charlie, The Tuna
he next time you think about dumping your medi-
cine down the toilet, DON’T! Why? Because the next time you eat fish, you will eat that medicine. Yes! Our bonefish supply is full of antibiotics, steroids, opi- oids, anti-depressants, blood pressure medications, Parkinson’s medications, stomach medications, anti- fungal drugs, pain relievers and heart medications.
According to a recent study of South Florida Coastal Fish, one fish had 16 pharmaceuticals in its tissue. Moreover, the study found that eight different anti-de- pressants were found at concentrations equal to 300 times the amount prescribed for humans.
Scientists are concerned because the levels of phar- maceuticals in bonefish blood and tissue are high enough to cause toxic algae blooms (Red Tide), to cause male fish to develop ovaries; to cause changes in the be- havior (reproductive; risk taking); to cause lower sur- vival rates; to cause endocrine disruptions and cause other toxic side effects.
Researchers predict the effects of the drugs in the water are “likely permanent” because changes in brain chemistry following exposure to the drugs is similar to how opioids affect human beings who get addicted to them. In addition, the chemicals and drugs that were found in fish in the waters off South Florida were also found in fish collected “near the Caribbean, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Belize (South America).
Not only are the drugs dumped down drains and toi- lets, they are excreted by our bodies as waste products. So, what can we do about it? Stop disposing of drugs in our drains, and toilets; control the runoffs “from stormwater, agricultural lands or treatment plants,” update older wastewater treatment plants, and regu- late pharmaceutical contamination of our water re-
sources.
The Biden Administration’s recent $1.2 trillion in-
frastructure bill passed in November 2021, will be used for improving roads, bridges, water systems and en- ergy systems. States will receive these funds to be used as each state decides what its greatest need is. No doubt
that our greatest need is to maintain and construct wastewater systems that filter pharmaceutical contaminants from our water sources.
Imagine a world where people will no longer be able to eat crabs, fish, or any water animal. What will you do if you can’t eat your favorite tuna fish sandwich? Truly, Charlie is having the last laugh.
A
T
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2022