Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 6-30-17

Editorials/Columns
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Another Middle Finger
never thought of my home- town as a stronghold for the ideals of the Confederacy. But,
as it turns out, I was wrong. The ugly truth hit me last week after Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 4-3 in favor of keeping a Confederate monument standing in front of
the old county courthouse. Even though the climate across a majority of the south has led to the removal of such di- visive imagery from the public landscape, it seems that at least 4 elected Hillsborough County Board members feel comfortable with holding on to a legacy of slavery, racism and terrorism. Three things that, you would think, politicians would try their best to distance themselves
from.
I understand that the Com-
missioners who voted for the monument to remain in place did so to appease their Eastern Hillsborough County con- stituents, many of whom claim to be highly "nostalgic" about their Confederate heritage.
But, I think it would have been better for someone to, once again, remind those rebel die- hards that the South actually
lost. And, regardless of how much they wish, pray or hope for that not to be the case, nothing is going to change that history or force Africans back into a posi- tion of servitude.
For me personally, the fact that this issue is attracting na- tional attention is particularly embarrassing because of how much I often brag about Tampa's progressiveness. But having multiple female mayors, a Black police chief, a Black fire chief, a Black head coach of a di- vision I school and a starting Black quarterback for the pro- fessional football team means nothing if Ku Klux Klan memo- rabilia permeates throughout the city's decor.
The worst part is that I have to deal with my associates from places like Alabama and Louisiana who now look at me and say things like, "I guess you can't talk about us no mo'?" And the sad thing is that they're ab- solutely right.
I can't say anything about the backwardness of any city or town in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina or Georgia be- cause Tampa is proving to be more culturally insensitive and
"bass-ackwards" than any of them.
Right now I imagine those County Commissioners who feel as though they did the right thing by adhering to mid-19th century southern sensibilities, are proud of the fact that they were able to give Tampa's Black community the middle finger.
But I wonder what that pride will be worth when Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa miss out on a potential billion dollar pay day after this story gains more traction and the NFL decides to re-locate the 2022 Super Bowl because it doesn't want its brand linked to the con- troversy? It definitely could hap- pen.
The only good thing about this entire ordeal is that, with their decision, those 4 County Com- missioners have exposed their hands and shown their true col- ors.
So, going forward, there should be no further misunder- standing on issues where race is an element of the debate be- cause they've given the world a clear indication of how much they enjoy standing in the shad- ows of trees that once bore strange fruit.
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Parents Should Take Warren Sapp’s Advice
We applaud Warren Sapp for donating his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for study of the ef- fects that playing football has had on the brains of NFL play-
ers. Sharing with the world his fear of brain deterioration and its current effect on him – memory loss, needing to use his telephone to remember appointments, confusion, etc. – Sapp called for the NFL to make football a safer sport. How- ever, his most memorable statement was “kids shouldn’t play tackle football until they are in high school.”
We agree.
Little League parents and coaches, are you listening? We are certain sports enthusiasts and parents whose children play Little League football and other contact sports (boxing, hockey etc.), will do a double-take when they read this Edi- torial.
However, we do indeed; need to rethink our society’s love affair with violent contact sports to the extent that we in- volve our children in potential brain concussion sports be- fore their brains are fully developed. Surely, involvement in less violent sports and organizational activities such as Boy Scouts can teach the same discipline, team-building skills and self-esteem that are taught in football.
Hopefully, we can count on other NFL players to advo- cate vigorously for safer equipment and rule changes, but who will advocate for the delay of our children’s involve- ment in brain injury prone sports.
Perhaps, Warren Sapp is correct: dangerous contact sports for children below the age 13 should indeed, be con- sidered child endangerment, and if found to be so, should be corrected in order to save the tens of thousands of Amer- ican adolescents whose lives are threatened.
Go Deeper
mpowered Greetings.
You can get what you want and expect out of life if you just go deeper. At some point in your existence on this earth you will find yourself asking the question or contemplating if life has more to offer you than this. This being what you’ve experi- enced to this point. I want to be that inner voice to tell you YES IT DOES, IF YOU GO DEEPER.
There’s a lot of life circum- stances that are out of our hands. However, there is a lot that we can control. To help keep your life moving in the di- rection you desire take time to seriously dig deeper in connect- ing yourself with your inner self.
Go deeper in exploring who you really are at your core.
Go deeper in developing your authentic voice.
Go deeper in discovering your belief systems and why you believe what you believe. This will help you project your true voice and the real you so that you can lead a more fulfilling life.
Go deeper and clarify what you care about so that you can begin to modify your behavior and actions to align with beliefs.
Go Deeper in building friendships. Friendships help build your confidence, emo- tional health and social life.
Go Deeper in expressing love. There are great health
benefits you will reap if you’re in a loving relationship. Be affec- tionate, kind, joyful, grateful and generous with expressing your feelings of love.
Go Deeper in developing a spiritual awareness.
When dealing with the is- sues of life, your spiritual beliefs will help strengthen you, heal you where you’ve been broken, encourage you, give you hope, quiet a raging soul and give you guidance.
Go Deeper in experienc- ing the adventures of life. Your life is waiting for you to live it. Stop dreaming about kicking your life up a notch and step out on faith and just do it.
Let Selphenia help you go deeper and experience a richer life. Invite her to speak, train or facilitate your next event. Stay connected through social media or call to get the help you need to succeed. 813-603-0088. Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach To Women; In- stagram: Selphenia; Twitter: queenofsuccess1.
Letter To The Editor
The Insight Of Politics
erving as a lawmaker has to be in the heart of the per- son and the desire to do so should be for the right rea- sons. Having a passion for the lower, middle and
upper middle class constituents' quality of life and their con- cerns is vital. Some constituents may not have a clear under- standing regarding politics, policies, and the laws passed in your district and throughout the State of Florida.
For example, I learned from my past experiences if a cit- izen is appointed by a City or County Commission on a local level to serve on a volunteer board or a committee, he or she is serving in a political seat, regardless if you are a Democ- rat, Republican or an Independent.
This past year during the 2017 Legislative Session, I was able to attend several committee meetings that affect the quality of education in Polk County and across the State of Florida.
There are 120 seats in the Florida House of Representa- tives, broken down to 78 Republicans and 41 Democrats that sit on the State Committees making decisions affecting your
everyday life.
Constituents, please understand, Democrats, Republicans and Independents sit on these
committees together, with different views, opinions, passing policies and procedures that af- fect your everyday lives in your district, Polk County and the State of Florida.
The lawmakers in your district are based on the voters' turn-out in each Midterm and Gen- eral Election. When you're voting, your vote should be based on the person, not party. If you don't like the laws passed by your State Representative or State Senator, get involved in your political party clubs and caucuses.
Please do your research, understand the bills that have been written and passed through the Florida House of Representatives then the Florida State Senate.
DR. SHANDALE TERRELL Lakeland, Florida
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