See the Sons of Confederate Veterans raise their gargantuan flag.
See the Uhurus mock the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Feel the undercurrent of insensitivity running underneath our community.
In both cases, the groups employ over-the-top means to draw attention to their beliefs. If someone gets offended in the process, so be it. Disagree with them, try to explain your countering viewpoint, and its likely to start a shouting match.
If you want to know what I'm talking about, look at the comments underneath the two most recent stories on the Uhurus and the Confederates on tampabay.com. There's no shortage of shameful spewing from all sides: Confederate supporters are toothless, and protesters are socialists. Uhurus are clowns, and their opponents are moronic.
Tampa Bay's river of hate bubbles to the top during these controversial moments, but it's always roiling, lurking just under the surface.
Although Tampa police have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to hate crimes and probably classify more offenses under that category than the usual, it's still worth noting that Tampa leads the state of Florida in the number of reported hate crimes, according to the FBI.
"There are 56 hate groups in the state of Florida," Community Tampa Bay executive director Stacie Blake said. "It ranges from the Ku Klux Klan to black separatist groups. It doesn't matter who you are, somebody is ready to hate you."
Community Tampa Bay exists to deal with this undercurrent of anger. Instead of diatribes, it promotes dialogues. Blake likes to say Community Tampa Bay tries to change one heart and one mind at a time.
Through its programs such as Anytown, a youth leadership and diversity program, the nonprofit organization strives to create a community free of discrimination and all those isms that can plague how we treat each other. Blake and her staff are renewed each time an Anytown participant says, "When I walked in here I was such a racist. Now I get it."
Still, cynics will scoff at the lofty goal of ending discrimination. Blake begs to differ.
"We use that Margaret Mead quote a lot: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people is the only thing that can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.' I think there's also more evidence that our dreams are the same than that they're different."
Really, what we want for ourselves is largely the same. Health, wealth, safety, security. It's the differences that divide us, if we let them.
This year, Community Tampa Bay staged separate seminars regarding interfaith differences, immigration issues and lesbian, gay and transgendered discrimination. Some of the conversations prove challenging, but Blake says problems can't be fixed if you don't talk about them.
And what happens if you ignore them?
In Sarasota this week, an African-American teen shot a white teen sporting the Confederate flag. The victim is recovering, the shooter has been arrested, but two lives has been irrevocably changed.
Where would they be today if they had engaged in dialogues instead of diatribes?
Go to www.community tampabay.org to learn more.
That's all I'm saying.
Community Tampa Bay was awarded the 2009 Diversity and Inclusion Award by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.This award recognizes the critical role that Community Tampa Bay plays in cultivating today's and tomorrow's leaders within the Tampa Bay business community. "We are thrilled to be the only non-profit selected for this prestigious award," said Stacie Blake, Executive Director. Community Tampa Bay was recognized alongside well-known law firms such as Carlton Fields PA and Fowler White Boggs PA for going above and beyond to promote inclusive workplaces where all contributions are valued and all employees respected.
Community Tampa Bay strives to build inclusive communities comprehensively by working to foster safe K-12 school environments for optimal student achievement, facilitate diversity education for local business to ensure respectful and inclusive workplaces, host community dialogues on multiple issues and cultivate leaders of every age.Our year-long Anytown Youth Leadership and Diversity Awareness program was specifically acknowledged for launching over 4,000 culturally competent graduates into the community with many program graduates now serving as leaders in business, government, healthcare and education.
Event sponsor and spokesperson Ed Gallegos of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida stated that as one of the most diverse states in the country, 40% of Florida's population is now comprised of multicultural communities--making it critical that businesses foster cultures which respect and build on the strength that comes with diversity.
With diversity awareness and leadership programs targeting both youth and adults, Community Tampa Bay is proud to be recognized for the work they are doing to create a truly inclusive community. Developing partnerships with local businesses and foundations is essential for our continued success.
WEDU’s ‘Be More’ winners named
Tampa Bay Business Journal
WEDU, west central Florida’s primary PBS television station, recognized more than 70 nonprofit organizations that applied for honors and recognition in the fifth annual WEDU Be More Awards.
The annual Be More Awards luncheon is one of the station’s premier events. This year it paid tribute to outstanding achievements made by nonprofits, both large and small, in 2009.
Achievements were celebrated for winners in nine award categories:
• Be More…Informed: A marketing award for the organization that demonstrated creative, original marketing through broadcasting, print material, social networking and/or community awareness campaigns. Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County Inc. was the winner.
• Be More…Entertaining: Honors the organization that hosted a wide variety of special events or one particularly original special event or fundraiser for community benefit. Community Tampa Bay was the winner.
• Be More…Brilliant: An award for the organization that displayed the most imaginative, creative and innovative use of original ideas to achieve organizational goals. Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County was the winner.
• Be More…Knowledgeable: Recognizes the educational outreach tools an organization has employed to educate the community through guidance, knowledge, emotional or physical support, and/or a mentorship program. Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County Inc. was the winner.
• Be More…Enriched: Recognizes program excellence specifically for a culturally based organization. Judges added this award for the first time in 2010 to recognize efforts that contribute to the spirit of adventure and exploration, as well as education through the arts, performance or historic exhibits. Polk Museum of Art was the winner.
• Be More…Humble: A people’s choice award decided by an online poll at wedu.org that was driven by votes from the general public in the WEDU 16-county viewing area during a 30-day period. More than 15,000 unique user votes were cast. The award exhibits the connection and relationship the organization has with the community and the people the organization serves. Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties Inc. was the winner.
• Be More…Encouraged: An award that is decided entirely by a panel of independent judges without any specific criteria but based on the organization’s ability to broaden horizons through creative and respectful means. The Spring of Tampa Bay Inc. was the winner.
• Be More…Involved, The Mason Dixon Award for Volunteerism: An award driven by an online poll on wedu.org with the finalists being chosen by a tally of popular votes cast by the general public in the WEDU viewing area. The winner was selected by the awards’ namesake, local radio personality and philanthropist Mason Dixon, who provides on-air support of dozens of worthy causes and makes personal contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society and Metropolitan Ministries, among others. Steve Franks of the The ALS Association, Florida Chapter was the winner.
• Be More…Unstoppable: This is seen as the most coveted award of the program. One nonprofit group was named WEDU Be More Awards Nonprofit Organization of the Year, selected by a panel of judges from all submitted applications. The award criteria is comprised of overall excellence demonstrated in the selected category — fulfillment of the four commitments to the community, including service to the organizations’ constituency, level of community impact, financial viability and embodiment of overall community goodwill. A $1,000 community investment grant from WEDU is made to the winner, which was Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County.
Finalists for all the categories were announced in late December.
Highlights from 2010 ceremony and interviews with the WEDU Be More Award winners will be featured during a one-hour, primetime television special premiering on WEDU Feb. 25 at 9 pm.
Created by WEDU, the awards program has become a nationally recognized, award-winning effort and special initiative of PBS stations throughout the country. There is no charge for a nonprofit organization to apply for recognition, and the exposure provided by the PBS station throughout the program offers substantial credibility and promotion of an organizations’ mission. The program also serves as a fundraising and community partnership event for each PBS station.