Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 2-28-20
P. 14
Local
Sen. Janet Cruz Advances Senate Budget Amendment For Abandoned African-American Cemetery
TALLAHASSEE, FL – As a part of the Florida Senate’s discussion of its proposed budget Wednesday (Feb. 12th), Senator Janet Cruz (D-Tampa), Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson (D- Jacksonville), and Senator Darryl Rouson (D-St. Pe- tersburg) passed an amend- ment to the Senate General Appropriations Bill (SB 2500) that would set aside $100,000 for memorials to be built at Zion Cemetery and Ridgewood Cemetery in Tampa.
The passage of Wednes- day’s amendment ahead of budget conference expresses the Senate’s strong belief in the importance of recognizing and memorializing the impor- tant contributions of African- Americans to the history of Florida.
The amendment, in con- junction with Senator Janet Cruz’s legislation to form a
SENATOR JANET CRUZ
statewide task force for the historical preservation of African-American cemeteries and burial sites (SB 220), comes in response to reports of dozens of lost, forgotten, and ignored cemeteries of peo- ple of color across Florida.
In July, the Tampa Bay
AUDREY GIBSON
Times revealed that the first African-American cemetery recognized by the City of Tampa, Zion Cemetery, along with hundreds of graves, had been largely forgotten as de- velopment top the site pro- ceeded over the decades.
In October, Hillsborough
County Schools discovered an- other historic African-Ameri- can cemetery, Ridgewood Cemetery, on the grounds of King High School in Tampa.
The Senate Budget amend- ment will provide funding to the Florida Department of State for a memorial at each of these sites. The Department will be required to work with local community stakeholders to create memorials that demonstrate the state’s com- mitment to honoring all who have contributed to Florida’s history and ensuring dignity and respect for the deceased.
In response to the passage of this budget amendment, Senator Cruz and Senate Mi- nority Leader Gibson of- fered the following statements:
“Over the past year, I have been proud to work with our local and state leaders to cor- rect historic wrongs as Florida has re-discovered and com-
mitted to the preservation of African-American cemeteries throughout our state,” said Senator Cruz.
“While there is much col- laborative work still to be done, I am grateful to have the opportunity to take this first step by setting aside funding specifically for Zion Cemetery and Ridgewood Cemetery Memorials in Tampa. This will allow our community to begin healing from this injustice and en- courage our state to take the necessary steps to memorial- ize all who have contributed to Florida’s history, particu- larly those whose vital contri- butions have been overlooked for far too long.”
“Restoring the honor and dignity to those who came be- fore us is important to history and the descendants of those buried in these cemeteries,” said Leader Gibson.
“This is the most important
—
Mike Bloomberg’s Greenwood Initiative.
A Plan for Economic Justice for Black America.
Drive economic empowerment to create one million new Black homeowners and 100,000 new Black-owned businesses.
Commit $70 Billion to the 100 most disadvantaged neighborhoods to offer access to healthcare, education, infrastructure improvements and justice.
MIKE WILL GET IT DONE.
Election Day in Florida is Tuesday, March 17th.
Read Mike’s Plan at MikeBloomberg.com.
Paid for by Mike Bloomberg 2020
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020
