Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 6-7-16 Online Edition

Local
Urban Dance Festival To Be Held
‘Stop The Killing Tour’ Comes To Tampa
On Saturday, May 28th, more than 150 youth, residents and community activists as- sembled for the National Movement to Combat Black Violence as part of the Na- tional Chairman of the New Black Panther Party, Minis- ter Hashim Nzinga’s “Stop The Killing Tour 2016.”
The tour was a day filled with great entertainment from the dancing Shooting Starlets, to the conscious revolution rap from local artist, Devb, and powerful poetry from Brother J. L. Alexander and local speakers, to the keynote speaker, Minister Hashim Nzinga who gave the prescription to “Stop The Killing.”
The first speaker was Mr. Andrew Joseph, Jr. who reached out to the youth and the parents about the impor- tance and the need to boycott the Florida State Fair, whom he holds accountable for the tragic death of his son, An- drew, III, in 2014.
Mr. Joseph called all the adults in the building to be ad- vocates for their children, pro- tect them and always know where they are.
New Black Panther Party member, Robin Wynn, who is also a motivational speaker, spoke on the importance of policing the police and estab-
MINISTER HASHIM NZINGA AND ALI MUHAMMAD
lishing a need to adopt a few city blocks to combat violence. Wynn spoke about her par- ents being a part of their neighborhood’s crime watch group and they’d walk the neighborhood at nights to help keep the peace and adopt high
crime spots to minister in. Activist and Freedom Fighter, Connie Burton, ad- dressed the packed venue with “We must fight back, we must understand that Black is beau- tiful, and that we don’t need
that other stuff.
“We will have to move with
our own conviction and courage to save our own kids before they hit the school- prison pipeline.”
Brother Jihad Amos Muhammad, founder of the
ROBIN WYNN
organization, Building Your Own Community, addressed the issue that “it’s easy to stab and shoot somebody, but to deliberately mis-educate our children, discourage them, and crush their dreams and desires must stop, as well as using the children as personal property instead of property of God.”
Spoken Word Artist and ac- tivist, Life Malcolm, said he feels it’s the responsibility of all African Americans to take care of self, and love and re- spect each other.
“We have to trust ourselves before we trust someone else.” Life Malcom lost his son, Lyfe Coleman, to gun vio- lence in 2015 when he was shot while standing in his front yard. The shooter has not been
arrested.
VYB Dance Company will hold its Urban Dance Festival – featuring dance workshops, Prelude South, the Kanvas and UDF All-styles dance Battle - at the University Area Commu- nity Center, on Saturday, June 25, 3 to 9 p. m.
Dancers will come from all over to participate in this festi- val, at 14013 N. 22nd St., Tampa, 33613.
The Prelude South Compe- tition features some of the best dance crews in the Southern United States showcasing their routines that will be judged by a professional dance panel for cash prizes. Prelude is an inter- national competition that tours all over the country; it will make its Tampa debut at this year’s Urban Dance Festival.
The Kanvas Showcase was created as a platform for young professionals to express them- selves and provide an audience with the ability to experience and embrace dance culture. What started as a small show- case in a studio setting has grown to an evening length event attracting talent from all over Florida.
To participate in this show- case, submit a video to feelthevyb@gmail.com. For sponsorship information about the Urban Dance Festival, con-
tact Demario Henry at de- mariojhenry@gmail.com.
There is an admission fee at the door.
VYB Dance Company is one of several arts groups that hold their performances at the Uni- versity Area Community Devel- opment Corporation (UACDC). UACDC provides support for thousands of Tampa residents through youth programs, adult education and resource assis- tance. Its primary mission is the redevelopment and sus- tainability of the at-risk areas surrounding University of South Florida's Tampa cam- pus.
For more information about UACDC, a 501(c)(3) public/private partnership, visit www.uacdc.org.
DEMARIO HENRY
University Mall Plans Large-Scale
Redevelopment
Artist rendering of new University Mall.
Redevelopment plans for University Mall call for the ad- dition of three anchors and two freestanding restaurants that have yet to be named.
The enclosed mall common area between what was once the JC Penney building and the remaining mall will be demol- ished to make way for a lifestyle addition, an outside area filled with lush landscap- ing, eating areas and water fea- tures. A health club will also be added.
Mall owner, RD Manage-
ment LLC, which acquired the property a year ago for $29.5 million, released its design plans for the first phase of the major renovation last Monday. Construction could begin as soon as the first quarter of 2017.
The first phase of the reno- vation will include significant changes to the mall’s western wing. About 246,500-squre- feet of retail will be renovated with the new anchors, and the restaurants will be constructed on out-parcels along Fowler.
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