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Editorials/Columns
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IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR
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Analysis
Our Survival Depends On Us Standing Together
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
uring the segregation
era, if people of color were to survive, it was mandatory that we stick to- gether. We usually lived in the same neighborhoods and supported entrepreneurship.
And, then came integra- tion.
Civil Rights laws prohib- ited discrimination on all levels --- housing, employ- ment, education, etc...
As a result of integration we now live anywhere we can afford to rent or pur- chase. Our children can at- tend any public school or private institution their par- ents can afford. And, we can apply for employment any- where.
Today, we are living in an integration society. But a
new day is on the horizon. Donald Trump is Presi- dent-elect of the United States. And during his cam- paign, he endorsed and em- braced racism. He made it clear that he has little use for any culture other than his own.
Only God knows what lies in store for us.
There is nothing we can do about the election, but we must ensure that we are pre- pared for the next four years. We must prepare for the worst and pray for the best.
And that means, we have to support each other and there is no way around that. We must support each other in business, in entrepreneur- ship, and in all other ways.
Some of the ways in which we can do this is by buying in bulk and dividing it among those in the group,
especially when families join together. Instead of paying a daycare, we can pay a retired relative to babysit.
Some family members may live on opposite sides of the county. But by taking simple steps, will save money while supplying the needs of others.
If we are to survive, we must all eliminate the “Is” and replace them with “Wes.”
No matter what your cur- rent financial status, we are going to be affected in some manner during the next four years. So, we have to support and encourage each emo- tionally as well.
In order to survive, we must realize that it will only happen if we work together. After all, there is no “I” in “TEAM.”
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
The Hardest Thirty-Seven Days
magine having to leave a house you’ve lived in for a life-
time. Your kids grew up in that house, ate breakfast at that breakfast table, and kissed your cheek as they scurried out the front door to go to school. In sum, your home was your sanctuary . . . the real source of your daily presence and sometime genius.
But too soon, your time in your house was up. New ten- ants moved in. On their behalf, suffice it to say they and you weren’t woven from the same cloth. You noticed it from the very beginning, even as you showed them around the place, the knowing smiles they gave you weren’t smiles of convivi- ality, but were grins of arrogance.
Yet what was worse was the fact that even though you sensed the difference, a difference which grew in measure and volume from the first few weeks when they moved in, you were powerless to do anything about it.
If you can imagine this scenario, then no doubt, you can feel the agony President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama must be feeling at this very moment.
Thirty-seven days and counting, a man, his wife, their children and staff who spent eight years in each other’s grace, are dismantling their universe, piece-by-piece. But what’s worse is the certainty that the more than 400 Execu- tive decisions made by President Obama may be destined ei- ther to be hurled onto the junk heap of history or tagged falsely by a new president as what he has done. And so it goes.
Our nation can be proud that throughout its history, no former commander-in-chief has refused to leave office with a fight. No doubt, the next few weeks will be no different. But already, aftershocks are being felt. Affordable Healthcare clients are complaining; women’s reproductive rights are being severely questioned among other things.
So, President Obama waits and watches with a thousand nightmares swarming in his head. We will miss one of the greatest presidents our nation has had, sixty days and count- ing.
Turn Your M. O. Into N. O.
mpowered Greet-
ings. In life we have all experienced missed op- portunities. The chance to advance or move forward with progress, when not taken, can leave us feeling a sense of regret, loss of hope or despair.
Life has a way of getting us distracted and off track when it comes to accom- plishing our agendas, goals and assignments, be it God ordained or things we feel led to do. Although distrac- tions can be fatal they don’t have to be final. You can al- ways turn your missed op- portunities into new opportunities.
When you use a GPS or any type of mapping device you set the destination for where it is you want to go. On your drive you may not have been tuned in to listen- ing to the directions. You may have even got confused with the directions that were
given. Sometimes there are construction projects under- way as you travel along your path that the system didn’t account for.
Exit numbers may have been changed. Wherein the exit use to be on the right, the new design has you exit- ing on the left but you could- n’t switch lanes quick enough to make the adjustment. This will cause you to miss your opportunity to get off the highway. When this happens all is not lost.
You don’t just stop travel- ing to your destination. You allow the GPS system to re- calculate the route and get you back on track. The same is true in life. If you miss an opportunity that would move you closer to your place of destiny, you don’t have to stay stuck. That’s when it’s time to take a moment and recalibrate your life so you can get back on the route to your success. That is the time
to declare that you will turn your M.O. “missed opportu- nity” into N.O., “new oppor- tunities.”
The things of the past that you have passed by are things that you can’t change so don’t focus on them. In- stead be like the Apostle Paul in the Bible and forget those things that are behind you and reach for the things that are in front of you.
There will be new chances to get to your desti- nation. Get in the press and grab hold of the opportuni- ties that are on the way. The path and plan may change but the destination of success will remain the same.
Selphenia would love to help you recalculate your path to Success to prepare for 2017. Call her at 813-603-0088 or connect with Selphenia via social media. Follow her on twitter @queenofsuccess1; Instagram: Selphenia; Facebook Fan Page: Selphenia Nichols Suc- cess Coach To Women. Invite Selphenia to speak, host or train at your next event or re- treat. Call 813-603- 0088.
No 21st Century Messiahs
ome of our columnists have often written prophetic lines
about the progress of Blacks in America. One of them was “It will not matter if we ever have a Black man in the White House because that one person would not have the power to change the status of Blacks in America.
Only we, as Black people, collectively can change our so- cial and economic status.” A second one was “As long as Blacks maintain a “Messiah” mindset, we will always look for some “leader” to help us bring about change. We all should be leaders of one (ourselves) in our quest for the ever elusive progress we crave.”
Simply put, if Blacks expect anything about our experi- ence in America to change, we each are going to have to put our noses to the grindstone and plan a strategy of our own to achieve social and economic parity.
Indeed, if there is anything good to come out of president-
elect Donald Trump’s presidency, it will be for Blacks to realize that there no modern-day Harriet Tubman, W. E. B. DuBois, Frederick Douglass, Whitney Youngs, Jesse Jacksons, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kings, Roy Wilkins, Fannie Lou Hamers, Malcolm X’s, Barbara Jordans, Vernon Jordans, or President Barack Obamas to come to our rescue.
Indeed, the saddest part of their absence is that too many 21st Century Blacks don’t even know who these people were. Many of us forgot that the Klan put their hoods in storage, donned shirts and ties and three piece suits, and are now occupying the boardrooms of For- tune, Forbes, and Trump Towers.
We predict the 21st Century will require women, Blacks, Latinos, and other minority ethnic and religious groups to forge an alliance in protecting the social and civil rights of these groups. January 20, 2017 will be too late to plan. We need to begin now to plan for the on- slaught of repeals being planned right now . . . or shall history overtake us because we didn’t read it?
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
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