Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 9-18-15 Edition

Features
Local Campaign Gears Up For Million Man March
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
With the theme, “Justice Or Else,” this year’s Million Man March will also be the 20th anniversary of the first March on Washington, D.C.
This year’s March will be Saturday, October 10th, and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan wants everyone to bring the family to this year’s celebration.
Minister Farrakhan
will speak to the large mass that is expected to attend this year’s anniversary March concerning a challenge to the government.
Tampa Organizing Com- mittee Chairs are Brother Richard Muhammad and Michelle Williams. Ac- cording to the Chair, they have been campaigning throughout the state for the past two months, and they have outlined what people needtodotobeapartofthis
historic event.
“Although the media
wants to make this a political event, that’s not true because the Nation of Islam has noth- ing politically to gain from this event.”
They have 32 buses ready to transport passengers, or entire families, to Washing- ton, D.C.
“Everyone has joined in to make this a truly historical event.
“We have been canvassing the area to make sure every- one knows about the March, and we are trying to put to- gether a fundraiser to help supplement the cost of the trip for those who can’t afford the $250 fee that will cover transportation to and from the Nation’s Capitol.
For more information, call (813) 720-7147, or (813) 326- 2882 and ask to speak to the Tampa Study Group leader, Michael Muhammad.
Local Black Women Organize To Become Force To Be Reckoned With During The Political Season
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
A South Florida-based or- ganization that wants to in- crease the number of Black women involved in the political process has expanded to the Tampa area – and is poised to go nationwide.
The Tampa Chapter of Democratic African-American Women Caucus (DAAWC) re- cently held its first organiza- tional meeting at the Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Library, where a group of about 30 women and men discussed how Black women can become more in- volved in the political process – either as candidates for office, educators of the voting process, or workers on campaigns.
Attendees – including for- mer state representative, Betty Reed – discussed how the lack of support and encouragement to run for office and lack of fundraising acumen were just some of the reasons why more Black women are not running for office or are involved in the political process beyond voting.
A lack of collaboration and cooperation also can be a bar- rier, said Hillsborough County Board Vice Chair, Doretha Edgecomb. “One of our largest weaknesses is that we don’t know how to do that well,” she said.
A 2014 report, “The Status of Black Women in American Politics,” by the Center for American Women and Politics and the Higher Heights Lead-
BETTY REED ....former State Rep.
ership reveals just how critical the voices of Black women are needed in the political arena.
According to the report, Black women are underrepre- sented at every level of political office and confront distinct po- litical realities. Also, black women are less likely to be en- couraged to run for office.
Currently, DAAWC oper- ates throughout the state, in- cluding Jacksonville and Miami and claims a member- ship of 4,000.
Gaby Delisme, who owns a financial services company, said she was impressed by DAAWC and its mission and hopes to become involved. “This is needed,” said Ms. Delisme, who lives in Tampa. “I’m surprised that this was not already in place, but better late than never.”
In a telephone interview, Leslie Wimes, founder of DAAWC, said the organization is now poised to be at the fore- front of increasing engagement of Black women in politics na- tionally.
Chapters in Illinois, Indi-
DORETHA EDGECOMB Vice Chair Hillsborough County School Board
ana, Maryland, and Texas are next to activate, she said.
Don’t be fooled by the word “Democratic” being part of the caucus’ name – DAAWC is a non-partisan organization, Wimes said.
For generations, Black women have been the “back- bone” of the Democratic Party, but have yet to see the issues that matter to them consis- tently and thoroughly ad- dressed, Ms. Wimes said. “As a whole, our vote is being taken for granted,” she said. “Because we vote Democrat without fail, our vote is no longer courted.”
Black women are the fastest-growing voting bloc in the country, it’s in the best in- terest of politicians to engage Black women in all facets of the political process, Wimes said.
“People realize that African- American women are a power- ful group,” she said. “All we need to do is come together.”
For more information about DAAWC, including how to join the Tampa chapter, visit www.daawc.org.
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015