Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 9-18-18

Editorial/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.
The Hefty Price Of Stuntin’
he father of one of my
associates passed away the other day. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to be by his dad's side in the end because he was busy completing the very last week of a 24-year prison sentence.
As tragic as that scenario may sound, it really isn't that uncommon of an occurrence. The truth is, it is just one ex- ample of the multitude of heart-breaking losses and missed opportunities indi- viduals deal with when they're locked behind bars.
From the inability to say goodbye to close family members before they die, to the relationships that crum- ble under the stress of long distance and the time lost with the children left behind, being incarcerated seems to involve a never ending cas- cade of "L's." The only win comes if you're blessed enough to make something of the life you have left once you're released. And that is solely dependent upon whether or not your outdate reads "deceased."
This is a part of the equa- tion that you very seldom see portrayed in movies or
rapped about in song lyrics. In the business of entertain- ment the life of crime is glamorized as a world filled with piles of cash, expensive cars, beautiful women, par- ties and a host of other frivo- lous bull----.
In these fictional accounts the bad guys usually go out in blazes of glory. The funny thing is that they never show us what happens when the big bad gangsta doesn't die at the end of the script?
I imagine films like Scar- face and New Jack City wouldn't have had the same level of impact if there were scenes depicting Tony Montana on a jailhouse phone begging his girl for money or Nino Brown buffing floors and selling dried up tobacco spit just to survive. I suppose these true to life images of the way a criminal life typically turns out just aren't sexy enough for the big screen.
This blatant twisting of re- ality always makes me won- der how many less people would actually choose the path of lawlessness if they were exposed to its true ugli- ness on a regular basis? I
have to believe that, at least for those with any amount of sense, being employed would come off as a much better op- tion.
Of course, this isn't a pity plea for those who currently live this bleak existence. That's because, the sad fact is, most of us signed up for the experience.
We weren't content with the joys of freedom. So, in- stead, we walked up to the gates of the nearest prisons and asked the wardens, pros- ecutors and judges to place us into situations where we could be miserable. All of the hardships I mentioned ear- lier simply came with the re- quest.
The thing about obtaining money illegally is that the perks always look good from a distance. We see so-called "ballers" having a great time and we instinctively want to be a part of the action. What we don't learn until it's too late is that the fun times don't last nearly long enough to warrant the hefty price paid.
To those willing to risk it all for the shine, my advice is to think twice before you make the leap. It may appear sweet but, after it all falls down (and it will), you'll soon realize that none of it was worth the trouble that came along for the ride.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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)
Black Americans And Suicide
all him Chris. Twenty-three years of age, mus-
cular, handsome, and a military academy grad- uate, he had a bright future ahead of him. However, Chris, a young Black man, recently ended his life. The reasons why are both a mystery and an epidemic.
Why?
Even though this young man had been recently re- leased from a local hospital for treatment of mental health issues, he waited until his parents had left town for a funeral for another family member before he took his own life. Chris’s battle with depression had been a closely guarded secret kept by his imme- diate family, but in the case of suicide, secrets aren’t kept for very long.
Today, we urge all of our readers to stop brushing poor mental health issues under the rug. Most cer- tainly, we need to talk about and seek training on how to help our children, family members, and friends cope with mental illnesses. Setting privacy aside, we encourage our readers to seek professional help and support from other family members with the under- standing that there is no shame in mental illness.
Since 1997, suicide rates have gone up by 25 per- cent in every state except Nevada. Sadly, suicide rates for Black children (ages 5 to 12) are twice the rate of white children, an age-related disparity which re- searchers are now studying.
Although suicide rates are still lower among Blacks than among whites in general, suicide preven- tion is clearly a topic Black people need to discuss. Furthermore, since the suicide of fashion designer Kate Spade and television celebrity Anthony Bour- dain, crisis service centers’ hotlines have experienced an increase in calls, as they usually do after a celebrity suicide.
In fact, contrary to popular opinion, Monday and Sunday nights are the busiest nights for calls because of people’s dread of returning to work or school as are right after holidays, and during the spring sea- son.
So, we encourage our readers, churches, and civic/social groups to place suicide on their agenda for community forums and community awareness.
Suicide is not an inside joke or a family secret. We need to talk about it openly and NOW!
Comeback And Win!
“Real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better.”
–Barbara Pletcher
mpowered Greetings to
all the underdogs. It’s time for a comeback!
As I looked at the Green- bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers go out the game before halftime, I thought it was a wrap for him. However, although he went down, he didn't stay out. He came back after halftime and the Packers won the game.
We are about to enter in the second half of the last
month of this quarter.
Today, I want to give you a
pep talk. Some of you may be in the preseason, regular sea- son or post season in your per- sonal, professional, business or ministry game of life and are faced with some situations that seem insurmountable.
People closest to you are sitting quietly in the stands, observing, shaking their heads, thinking there is no way you can win. There is no way you can come out of this. Even you yourself can’t see how you’re going to pull this off.
STOP THAT STINKING THINKING! Let me be your “head” coach for a minute. You are going to make it and make things happen because you
still have greatness on the in- side of you.
It’s time now to let your greatness show forth. It’s time to recover from any hits that you have taken that tried to take you out. It’s time to com- plete your passes and stay fo- cused on the goals that you have set out to achieve. Twenty five percent of all vic- tories come at the end of the game.
So there is time to erase the deficits or shortcomings in your life, in your business, in your ministry and get a game winning drive to seal a victori- ous win in.
Now let’s go make it hap- pen.
To request Selphenia to speak or train at your upcom- ing event call 813-603-0088.
Get connected. Join Selphenia on Social Media for some daily motivation. Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach To Women; Instagram:
Selphenia; queenofsuccess1
Twitter:
C
T
E
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5