Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 8-23-19

Local
City Council Honors Community Citizens
LENA YOUNG GREEN
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
In its Thursday morning (August 22nd) meeting, the Tampa City Council recog- nized several citizens. Among those recognized were Lena Young Green and Candy Lowe.
Mrs. Green’s recognition stems from her activism in Tampa Heights.
Although in the healthcare profession, Ms. Lowe is being recognized as an organizer for her work with small Black businesses.
In a motion initiated by City Councilmen Orlando Gudes and Charlie Mi- randa, on July 25th, Mrs. Green was chosen to be hon- ored. Councilman Gudes was joined by Councilman Joseph Citro on August 8th, to honor Ms. Lowe.
Also on August 8th, Coun- cilman Gudes and Council- man Guido Maniscalco, a motion was initiated to honor employees of the City of Tampa Recreation Depart- ment. Victoria Mattie, Ash- ley St. Clair and Sophie Seidenberg were honored for rescuing a teen, who was swept downstream by a current while attempting to swim across the Hillsborough River.
The plaque to Mrs. Green reads: “In honor of your in- vestment in the Tampa Com- munity and her years of dedicated service, Tampa City Council applauds Mrs. Lena Young Green. As a co-
CANDY LOWE
founder of the Green ARTery initiative, President of the Jackson Heights Junior Civic Association, and a former member of both the Tampa Heights Civic Association and the Tampa Heights CRA, Mrs. Green has demonstrated her true concern for our commu- nity. Additionally, she serves as executive vice president of LIFT Health, a Tampa- based nonprofit to develop “true solutions for health is- sues and lifestyle inadequacies for our youth and their fami- lies. Through her work, Mrs. Green has improved the lives of so many and continues to do so with a gracious heart.”
In honor of Ms. Lowe, the commendation reads, “In honor of your service to the Tampa community and the commitment to the economic advancement of all people in our city, the City of Tampa ap- plauds Ms. Candy Lowe. Since the founding of a non- profit, the “Black Business Bus Tour” in 2006, Ms. Lowe has consistently gathered people from all walks of life in order to bring awareness and support to locally owned businesses. Your work as a community or- ganizer has inspired the cre- ation of new businesses, created strategic partnerships between local business own- ers, and increased the profit margin of participating busi- nesses by up to 500 percent. Ms. Lowe has demonstrated herself to be enterprising, con- siderate, and a true servant to her community.”
Tampa Housing Awaits Reports About Long Forgotten Cemetery
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, Mrs. Lil- lian Stringer, Public Rela- tions Director for the Tampa Housing Authority, appeared before City Council. She ap- peared to answer the ques- tion, “What is the protocol when bodies are found on property owned by the Tampa Housing Authority?”
It would appear that the answer would be simple. However, Mrs. Stringer said, there is no protocol be- cause this is the first time this situation has occurred during her tenure with the agency.
Earlier this year, the Tampa Housing Authority learned that the Robles Park Public Housing Complex oc- cupied 2-1/2 acres of what once was Zion Cemetery. The agency hired Cardno Archae- ology, working in conjunc- tion with the USF Archaeology Department.
The firm used ground penetrating equipment to determine if there are any anomalies on the site. The company said the research is complete, and the Tampa Housing Authority expects the report at the end of Octo- ber, she said.
If the report proves that graves still exist on the prop- erty, the 96 people currently living in the five buildings will be relocated to other public housing locations or given housing assistance vouchers, she said.
According to records, the Zion Cemetery, located at the corner of Florida Avenue and Virginia, came into existence in 1901 as a burial site for African Americans. The last known burials took place on the property between 1913 and 1920.
Mrs. Stringer said re- search has shown that some of the graves were relocated. She has learned so far that the property was purchased by Richard Doby, a wealthy African American Tampa resident, and founder of Dobyville, which is located in the present day Hyde Park area.
It is unclear when the ownership of the property changed hands. However, the Tampa Housing Author- ity acquired the property decades later.
In the 1950s, five white
men sat on the Tampa Hous- ing Authority Board and made the decision to build the Robles Park Public Housing Complex. When the construction began in 1951, three caskets were un- earthed.
The construction contin- ued and the complex opened in 1954 as the 7th oldest pub- lic housing complex in Tampa.
The future of the property known as Robles Park now hinges on the report from the ground penetrating research. Until the Tampa Housing Authority receives that re- port, they can’t make any de- cisions.
Zion Cemetery reportedly was the final resting place for at least 400 African Ameri- cans in the years of its exis- tence.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A