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ime flies. It seems like
just yesterday that we were witnessing the devasta- tion brought upon, Texas, Florida and the Caribbean by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Now here we are quickly approaching the one-year an- niversary of those historically catastrophic events. And, with the thought of what happened back then still fresh on every- one’s mind, I imagine most people are trying not to think about what round 2 would be like?
While I can understand someone attempting to forget those horrifying moments, after witnessing such destruc- tion, it would take a special kind of fool to knowingly go into this hurricane season un-
prepared. That is mainly be- cause, even though the Tampa Bay and Miami areas were spared a direct hit, there’s no guarantee that those metro- politans will be as fortunate the next time around.
What we experienced last summer was a sample of what we should expect to see annu- ally going forward. As global warming continues to raise ocean temperatures the weather systems produced will continue to intensify in strength. That means there ex- ists the very real potential of Florida being hit by a storm large enough to make Hurri- cane Irma look like a scat- tered shower.
The possibility of some- thing like that occurring makes it imperative for people
to begin making preparations now.
Waiting until the last minute to obtain crucial items like plywood, batteries, food and water or head out of town will only lead to you either finding yourself scavenging through empty store aisles or stuck in miles long traffic. Both unpleasant scenarios that can be avoided by making moves well before anyone else.
Hopefully, Florida will con- tinue to be lucky enough to es- cape any apocalyptic-level natural disaster brought on by a storm with a cute nickname. But, if what has happened in places like Haiti, Puerto Rico and Hawaii recently, are har- bingers of what we can expect from a planet that seems to be in crisis, expecting the worse and thoroughly preparing for one of Mother Nature’s vicious backhands would probably be a much better strategy for sur- viving whatever heads our way.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
Best Time To Prepare Is Now
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And What If They Had Listened?
ust recently, a fellow journalist who begs to re-
main anonymous was laughing about a conversa- tion they had with then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Said Mr. Obama, “What would you think if I ran for president of the United States?”
Answered our fellow journalist, “I think you better think again.” This country simply isn’t ready for a Black president.”
We now realize the audacity of us being naysayers of dreams, instead of cheerleaders.
Which led us to think about, current Democratic candidate for the governorship of Georgia, Stacey Abrams.
Atty. Abrams, if she wins, will be the first woman and first Black to head that formerly Dixie haven.
We wonder too, how many people lined up to warn Atty. Stacey Abrams she should find better things to do with her time?
Fortunately, she didn’t listen.
Stacey Abrams’ journey brings us to Tampa and its upcoming mayoral race.
Of all the eligible candidates for that position, not one Black person has, yet, tossed his or her hat into the ring?
Is it rumor or truth... that the City of Tampa simply isn’t ready for a Black mayor?
What if 44th President of the U. S. of America, Barack Obama and now chosen Democratic candidate for Governor of Georgia Stacey Abrams had listened? History would have been still-born.
Young and talented Black men and women who dream of becoming leaders of the City of Tampa, now is the time to make your move to make your mark.
King, Jews, Black Leaders And Hollywood
n the previous column, I
shared some of the in- sights into Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s fight for Civil Rights through 1962 as told by Clarence Jones, King’s secret-keeper, friend, fundraiser and speech- writer. Today, those insights conclude.
Both King and Jones “shared a deep mutual respect for Judaism and consistently sought to maintain the historic coalition and alliance with leaders of the Jewish commu- nity.”
Even though some felt King’s relationship with Jews was opportunistic because Jewish Americans and rich men like Nelson Rocke- feller financed the civil rights movement, King established genuine and trusted relation- ships with Jews such as Stan- ley Levinson, a King advisor, fundraiser and speechwriter.
Moreover, King followed the teachings of Jewish philosopher Martin Buber and author of the 1923 classic, I and Thou.
Indeed, King “loathed anti-Semitism and questioned
how anyone who had any fa- miliarity with the Biblical and political history of the Jewish people could have anything, but the most profound admi- ration and respect for the Jew- ish community.”
Many of us remember that the relationship between King and Malcolm X was some- what strained at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement because Malcolm was often shown in sound bites wherein he talked about the “white devils” and used anti-‘Semitic language interchangeably.
Malcolm also opposed King’s “turn the other cheek” philosophy while King de- scribed Malcolm as “behav- ing no better than the hooded Klansmen whom he called the white devil.’’ Jones, served as a liaison between King and Malcolm.
Jones also attended secret meetings with Black activists and professionals such as Black scholar John Henrik Clarke, intellectual and Civil Rights figure John Killens, actor-activists Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee and other Civil Rights figures.
In preparing for the March
on Washington, Jones met with leaders such as NAACP president Roy Wilkins, CORE founder James Farmer, SNCC Chairman John Lewis and others who wanted to limit King’s speech to 5 minutes.
Jones encouraged King to take as much time as he needed.
Consequently, Jones and Levinson formed the frame- work for King’s “I Have a Dream” speech which King rewrote and delivered at the 1963 March on Washington. Jones advised King to copy- right the speech to the King Estate in order to keep the speech from becoming part of the public domain.
Actor Harry Belafonte
was instrumental in securing the support of white actors such as James Garner, Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Steve Mc- Queen, Shelly Winters, and Judy Garland.
There were too many Black actors to name. Many of the actors were joined by musi- cians, movie directors, and other performers such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Frank Mankiewicz.
Therefore, whenever we speak of the history of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Wash- ington, we must remember the support he was given by every- one – Black, white, Jewish and Hollywood. For, indeed, the success of our freedom did not make itself.
Harrambee!
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