Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Column

NAACP will reach out to the 'burbs

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published January 19, 2007

Having lived in the Hillsborough suburbs for 14 years, I can say with certainty that I see more black faces in the community than in 1993.

When I tell people I live in Seffner, no longer do they scrunch their faces and ask, "What are you doing out there?" Well, at least the frequency of such outbursts is less common.

It's obvious that all of Tampa's suburbs have grown in diversity. We're all American citizens, we're all suburbanites and many of our interests are the same as other folks'.

Yet it would be folly for me or any other African-American to ignore the bonds rooted in our history, our struggle and our successes. It's an awareness many blacks share, even if it goes unspoken. In stores, at restaurants and at school functions, we often pass each other and give approving nods, knowing that we share a commonality.

Even so, a disconnect remains. Many of the black institutions - churches, schools, social organizations - that united blacks 30 or 40 years ago either don't exist or are not as prominent in the bedroom communities. In some instances, integrated congregations and service organizations are trying to fill the void. That's a good thing.

Still, there is a desire among blacks to connect with each other. I don't think blacks should want to exclude themselves from other groups, but there is value in finding common ground among those who have similar experiences.

Incoming Hillsborough County NAACP president Curtis Stokes, of Tampa Palms, may have a solution.

To increase membership, Stokes wants to have at least some of the organization's chapter meetings in New Tampa, Brandon, Town 'N Country and Plant City, and eventually would like to have satellite branches in the suburbs.

"Even if it's nothing more than a place to pick up applications and find out about events, I think it would help," Stokes said. "We have to take the NAACP to the people. We can't sit back and have the attitude that the people need to come to us."

Stokes, a Belle Glade native and Fifth Third Bank vice president, knows all too well the challenges suburban blacks face in creating roots in Tampa. Like other black organizations, the local NAACP often meets in East Tampa.

Newcomers and suburbanites are unsure how to find their way in the city. They travel across interstates to major landmarks, never learning about what's in the neighborhoods below.

Stokes, 38, thinks if the NAACP's suburban meetings are well advertised, it could increase membership tenfold. The organization is finalizing its calendar, but scheduling is not the only challenge.

The NAACP may have to overcome an "us vs. them" mentality if its suburban outreach plans are going to be successful. Longtime urban members could be bothered that suburban blacks appear unwilling to come into the inner city. A subtle undertone of "They think they're too good to come to East Tampa" could create reluctance.

Stokes, however, remains undaunted.

"The NAACP has to be inclusive of the entire Hillsborough County area," Stokes said. "The population has shifted to the suburbs, and we have to serve the entire community. I really think that's where the younger people are going to come from."

Not only could a greater presence help connect suburban blacks, it also could help to coordinate responses to incidents that are tinged with racism. Just this month, an East Bay High School band member was attacked by another student who used a racial slur.

The African-American owner and operator of the Kids Community College charter school in Riverview thinks repeated acts of vandalism this fall may be racially motivated. Last year, an African-American executive purchasing $13,000 worth of gift cards at Wal-Mart on Causeway Boulevard was delayed for two hours because of his skin color.

Whether you're talking about inner-city struggles or suburban strife, the NAACP still has a role to play in our society. I'm hoping Stokes succeeds.

That's all I'm saying.

[Last modified January 18, 2007, 07:59:13]