Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 12-11-18

Features
Education Rights Activist Honored At USF
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Cheryl Brown Hen- derson was just three- years-old in 1954 when the U. S. Supreme Court broke up generations of separate- but-equal education policy in the landmark decision Brown v. Board of Educa- tion.
But even from that tender age, Henderson said she’s known the responsibility of her family’s legacy and it has defined her life’s work. She is an educational consultant and is the founding president of The Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excel- lence, and Research which works to educate the public about the significance of the judgment.
“This was too important to not make this a life’s work,” she said. “I’m not sure I had a choice. It’s certainly something I feel in my very core.”
On Friday, Henderson was feted by an audience of about 60 at a reception in tribute of her receiving an honorary doctorate of educa- tion the next day at the Uni- versity of South Florida’s commencement ceremony.
Brown v. Board of Edu- cation was one of the most prominent civil rights victo- ries of the 20th century. Spearheaded by the NAACP’s legal team, the case was filed on behalf of Henderson’s father, Oliver Brown.
In its ruling, the court unanimously determined
From left - Brenda Walker, co-chair, USF Committee on Black Affairs and College of Education Professor; Dr. Samuel Wright, Cheryl Brown Henderson, and Deidre Cobb-Roberts, co-chair, USF Committee on Black Affairs and College of Education Associate Professor. (Photo credit: Kedar Johnson, WinterPhresh Photogra- phy)
that state laws establishing separate but equal schools for Black and white students was unconstitutional. Thur- good Marshall, the NAACP’s chief counsel, ar- gued the case before the court to which he was ap- pointed in 1967.
The case sparked a move- ment that inspired others to have “energy and hope that they could stand up and do something,” said Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough County Branch NAACP.
Henderson was nomi- nated by Brenda Walker, a professor of education and co-chair of USF Committee on Black Affairs.
In the decades since that ruling, there is still a call to be “like the Brown case,” Walker said.
“We have to be social-jus- tice minded,” she said. “We have to take affirmative ac-
tion to be about social jus- tice.”
Henderson was greeted by a number of university and community leaders be- fore making her own re- marks, where she challenged the audience to remain vigi- lant against injustices of all kinds.
“Brown v Board of Edu- cation was beginning,” she said. “It did not end any- thing.”
The pushback from the decision was immediate and continues to this day, making it very important to march, vote, and speak truth to power because “so little truth is being spoken,” she said.
Henderson urged the audience to have the courage to continue the work that began with that fateful deci- sion almost 65 years ago.
“It’s an absolute neces- sity,” she said. “It’s like breathing.”
Commissioner Files Lawsuit To Block Transportation Tax
On November 6th, voters in Hillsborough County ap- proved a one cent tax that will span a 30-year period. The voters approved the tax to im- prove transportation in Hills- borough County.
However, earlier this week, Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White filed a lawsuit to keep the tax from going into effect. He stated that there are sev- eral flaws in the tax passed by more than 50% of the regis- tered voters. It is slated to take effect January 1, 2019.
In a press release, Com- missioner White said, “I do not believe the voters of Hillsborough County would have knowingly supported this charter amendment had they known it violated the laws of the State of Florida.
“I understand transporta- tion deficiencies continue to plague most urban areas in Florida and that, in many cases, elected officials have been unable to build consen- sus around a solution, but the fact that democracy can be in- conveniently slow in re- sponding to the challenges of our day does not give anyone the right to ignore the law. The bottom line is I am not doing this in spite of voters. I
STACY WHITE
... County Commissioner
am doing this for them,” he said.
He said he filed the law- suit in his official capacity as a County Commissioner to take a stand against the Hills- borough County transporta- tion referendum that passed in November.
“This referendum, which created a transportation sur- tax in our County Charter, was drafted and financed by a small group of private citizens without any public vetting to place a 1-percent transporta- tion surtax in our County Charter, projected to raise about $10 billion in new taxes over the next 30 years.”
He listed several areas of concern in the lawsuit.
FYI
Florida Strawberry Festival Concert Tickets On Sale
Tickets to the Florida Strawberry Festival's headline enter- tainment shows on the Wish Farms Soundstage went on sale Thursday, Dec. 6 at 8 a. m.
Tickets for each show can be purchased online at www.flstrawberryfestival.com, over the phone at 813-754-1996 or at the Amscot Main Ticket Office located at
2209 W. Oak Avenue in Plant City.
For more information about ADA accessible seating or tour group sales, call 813-719-6680.
North Seminole Little League Registration
North Seminole Little League Spring Registration has begun for the 2019 season (baseball/softball), for boys and girls ages 5 to 16 years old. The field is located at 2501 River Hills Dr., Tampa 33604 (across from Rowlett Park).
Registration dates are: Mondays – Dec. 10th through Janu- ary 21st; Tuesdays, December 11 through January 22nd; Thurs- days, December 13th through January 24th; and Saturdays, December 8th through January 26, 2019.
Coaches and volunteers are also needed.
For more information, please call (813) 933-6760, or (813) 404-1624.
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2018