Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 12-26-17

Editorials/Columns
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
(USPS 202-140)
2207 21st Avenue, Tampa Florida 33605 • (813) 248-1921 Published Every Tuesday and Friday By
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHING Co., Member of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
S. KAY ANDREWS, PUBLISHER
C. BLYTHE ANDREWS III, PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER ALLISON WELLS-CLEBERT, CFO
GWEN HAYES, EDITOR
IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR
BETTY DAWKINS, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR HAROLD ADAMS, CIRCULATION MANAGER TOYNETTA COBB, PRODUCTION MANAGER LAVORA EDWARDS, CLASSIFIED MANAGER
Subscriptions-$44.00-6 Months Both Editions: $87.00-Per Year Both Editions.
Opinions expressed on editorial pages of this newspaper by Columnists or Guest Writers, do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Florida Sentinel Bulletin or the Publisher.
s we approach the end of the year 2017 and this
holiday season, we are saddened by the news that one of our 101 Historically Black Colleges and Univer- sities (HBCU), Bennett College, is in danger of closing its doors.
Indeed, the all-women’s college recently announced that unless it enrolls an additional 50 or more students and raises $4 million dollars by August 2018, it will be forced to shut down.
Founded in 1873 as a normal school for African American men and women who were freedmen or for- mer slaves, the school’s purpose was to educate them and train them (men and women) as teachers. Many Americans, both Black and white, can claim benefit be- cause of successful Bennett teacher-graduates.
Currently, Bennett is one of two HBCUs that enroll women only since it stopped being a coed institution in 1926. Bennett, along with other HBCUs offered both high school and college-level courses as a means of compensating for the refusal of white colleges and uni- versities to enroll Black students.
Between the issuance of the Emancipation Procla- mation in 1862 and 1956, few Blacks were enrolled in white schools. Isaiah G. DeGrasse was the first Black student to receive a degree from a white institution of higher learning, Newark College (now University of Delaware).
Even in the 21st Century, Black students cannot af- ford the closing of a school such as Bennett College or any of our HBCUs. Therefore, we urge each of our readers to send Bennett College a minimum of $5.00.
If every graduate of an HBCU would send Bennett $10.00, it would receive well over the required $4 mil- lion.
This New Year, support HBCUs, because ‘a mind is a terrible thing to waste’.
A Parent’s Dilemma
wo weeks ago, after the
arrest of Tampa Sniper
Howell Donaldson, III,
for the murder of 4 people in the Seminole Heights neigh- borhood, a story surfaced about Donaldson’s parents being subpoenaed before Judge Margaret Taylor to provide information to in- vestigators about their son’s background. Needless to say the Donaldsons refused and, for me at least, it’s hard to find fault in their decision.
To be honest, I couldn’t imagine doing something along those lines either. Re- gardless of how horrific my child’s offense or how wrong I believed he or she was for committing a particular crime, there’s no way that I could see myself providing assistance that would send him or her to the death chamber.
My response would pro- bably be more like: “You say my child is responsible for crime X? Ok. Don’t ask me
for help. Do your job and prove it.”
I am sure that there are those out there who will strongly disagree with my position because they adhere to the belief that it’s a per- son’s civic duty to make sure the guilty are held account- able for their actions at all costs. But, to me, a person’s greatest duty is to protect and love the life that they helped to bring into this world in spite of the circum- stances.
Is this a display of sympa- thy for Donaldson, III? Absolutely not. As far as I’m concerned, if he actually did what he’s accused of, he should be punished as harshly as possible.
As a parent, though, I have empathy and under- standing for the impossible situation that confronts the elder Donaldsons. I mean, how are they supposed to live with themselves knowing that it may have been their
testimony or information they provided that ultimately led to the final nail being placed into their own son’s coffin?
Of course, this is some- thing that neither the detec- tives, the prosecutor nor the judge thought twice about before approaching the Donaldsons with such an insensitive demand.
While there’s no denying that it’s their responsibility to thoroughly examine every aspect of this case before tak- ing it to trial, in this particu- lar instance, it may have been better for them to ask themselves “what would I do if someone were to ask me to help kill the kid that I raised?” before moving for- ward.
By answering that ques- tion, it would have saved them a lot of time and energy in pursuing a course of ac- tion that, more than likely, will never bear fruit.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can write to Mr. Barr at: Clarence Barr 43110-018, Oak- dale F. C. I., P. O. BOX 5000, Oakdale, LA 71463; or email him at barr6502@gmail.com.
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Give Bennett College Your Support
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
A
T