Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 7-22-22

Tampa Community Turns Out For Historic Unveiling Of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Statue
Members of the Tampa Chamber of Commerce before the unveiling. Jeff Chernoff, Lauren Valiente, Ed Narain, Nic Glover, Congresswoman Kathy Castor, Bob Rhorlack, Brian Butler, Mickey Jacobs, Lauren Weiner and Andy Mayts.
By MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
On July 13, 2022, former State Represen- tative and AT&T VP, Edwin Narain and his wife, Monica traveled to Washington, D.C. at the invitation of Congresswoman Kathy Castor. The invitation was to take part in the celebrations surrounding the his- toric unveiling of the Dr. Mary McCleod Bethune statute in U.S. Statutory Hall.
During his time serving as a member of the Florida Legislature and Chairman of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, Attorney Narain (D-Tampa) and Rep. Jose Diaz (R- Miami) sponsored the legislation to remove a statute of a confederate general that repre- sented Florida.
In 2018, Senator Perry Thurston sub- sequently sponsored the legislation that paved the way for a vote to select a new rep- resentative at the hall. Floridians selected Dr. Bethune with poet James Weldon Johnson finishing second.
Congresswoman Kathy Castor led the multi-year effort.
To change a statue at U.S. Statutory Hall, a state must make a formal request. Con- gresswoman Castor coordinated and spearheaded the change by contacting the leadership of the state legislature, the Florida congressional delegation and the U.S. Histor- ical Society.
Dr. Bethune is the first African Ameri- can to represent a state at the U.S. Capitol. However she joins Fredrick Douglas, Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King with statues at the Capitol.
Narain stated “It is mind blowing to think about how far this effort has come along. When we were working to remove the
Former State Representative and VP Of AT&T Ed Narain and Congresswoman Kathy Castor at the official unveiling of the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune statue in Washington, D. C.
confederate statue, we were met with signifi- cant resistance and threats, but in the end, the Legislature made the right decision. Who knew that in just a few years, Floridians would make the brilliant choice of selecting Dr. Bethune as its representative. I am thankful for Congresswoman Castor’s persistent leadership, and it is an honor to be a part of this historical moment for our na- tion and state.”
Congresswoman Castor held several events with her guests including the statue unveiling at U.S. Statutory Hall, the Mary McCleod Bethune Symposium, and a re- ception at the Library of Congress.
Black, Male And Missing
Do you know of a family member, close friend, or neigh- bor no one knows what happened to them and was re- ported missing? In cities all across America there are more than a half million cases of missing persons annu- ally wherein most cases are quickly resolved.
In 2021, 521,705 cases were reported, and 485,000 were resolved, leaving 36,705 persons still missing. Over a decade of missing persons, 20,000 missing cases and 14,400 unidentified bodies still remain unsolved. Of the missing, nearly 50% of them are male and 37% of them are Black.
Florida is second among the 10 states with the highest number of missing person cases behind California, and higher than Alaska, Texas, Arizona, New York, Washing- ton, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Michigan.
These figures mean that at least 193,031 Black people, half of them males, go missing every year. Researchers project that there are 1.5 million Black males between the ages of 25 and 54 missing in America due to incarcera- tion, homicides, early deaths from heart disease, HIV and other diseases, and unknown reasons.
Because Blacks are 37% of missing persons but 13% of the American population, Blacks, and children make up a disproportionate percentage of missing persons re- ported. Missing from major metropolitan areas and across the South, there are only 83 Black males for every 100 Black women not in jail.
During childhood, there are “roughly an equal number of Black boys and girls. The imbalance begins to appear among teenagers through the 20s and peaks in the 30s. Several sources theorize that disparity between Black males and Black females contributes to “disruption of Black family formation, lower marriage rates, higher childbirths outside of marriage,” and the quality of ro- mantic relationships.
According to another source, men don’t need to com- pete as hard to find a mate, are less likely to commit to ro- mantic relationships, or work hard to maintain them.”
When we consider the role of motherhood for Black women, raising boys to become men in adulthood be- comes important if we want our daughters to have men- tally and emotionally healthy and stable mates. While loving our sons, we must raise them to be good men and good fathers.
Editorial Feature
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2022