Sheriff Jerry Demings Challenges Black Leaders at the Seminole County Florida NAACP Banquet

The first African American sheriff for Orange County, FL, Jerry L. Demings, challenged black organizations to train the next generation. Sheriff Demings delivered the keynote address for the Seminole County NAACP Annual Freedom Fund & Awards Banquet on June 5.

Sheriff Demings and his wife, Valdez Demings, rose from very humble beginnings to the top of their fields. He is married to the first female police chief in Orlando. They both grew up poor and were the first generation of their families to go to college. Sheriff Demings spoke of his father and mother who were a taxi cab driver and maid. He said when he considers where he is now, it only serves to humble him more and remind him of his responsibility.

During his speech, Sheriff Demings made it his task to remind all of those blacks who have risen to the top to lift others as well. He said that most of us make it in spite of our circumstances. It is our moral responsibility to help someone else. Sheriff Demings warned that with the state of many of our communities, if we don’t reach back to help, we all will regret it. Sheriff Demings cited a few alarming statistics. Three-fourths of those in prison due to drug offenses are people of color. In Orange County, blacks make up 19% of the general population but 54% of the inmate population. “Shame on us. Shame on America,” he said.

He also challenged the NAACP audience to consider the delusion young black males have with professional sports. Many believe a contract with the NFL or NBA is their ticket out. Not only is making it to a team highly unlikely, even those who do make it are not necessarily set for life. Sheriff Demings said Otis Smith, General Manager for the Orlando Magic, shared that 68% of NBA players find themselves broke within five years of retiring. The vast majority of black millionaires are entrepreneurs. Therefore, the logical path to economic advancement and empowerment for black people is business and financial training not an obsessive drive toward athletics.

One of the young people that the NAACP has nurtured and supported came back to show the benefit of the NAACP’s work. Angenique DeJesus received a scholarship from the local branch. She is currently a student at the University of South Florida, pursuing a degree in Bio-Medical Sciences. Her goal is to use her talents to serve.

Not only did the audience hear from current civil servants, they paid tribute to local trailblazers and pioneers of the Civil Rights struggle. The Seminole County NAACP Branch held its very first induction into the Seminole County Civil Rights Hall of Fame. Willie King, Francis Oliver, Edward Blacksheare and Sandra Gaines were all inducted for their contributions to educational and political equality in Seminole County. This ceremony will take place every year. Future inductees can be nominated by contacting the branch at (407) 328-7496.

Equal Education Threatened in Seminole County Florida

The school board in Seminole County Florida will vote tomorrow on a controversial rezoning plan. The proposed plan has raised the attention of parents and community groups such as the local NAACP and Goldsboro Front Porch. If approved by the school board, this plan will affect all students living in the Northeast and Northwest clusters. Currently, students living in the North part of Seminole County are able to choose from a pool of schools called “clusters.” If some school board members (and parents living in the more affluent sections of the county) have their way, students will be forced to go to “neighborhood” schools.

The clusters were set up in 1998 to ensure that schools would be integrated and that all students would have access to quality education. The Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that schools were to be integrated. The federal government observed many school districts including Seminole County for decades to make sure the integration orders were obeyed. Seminole County worked for many years to get out from under the regulation of the federal government. The district instituted the school choice program in 1998 to settle the desegregation case against Seminole County. They achieved what is known as “unitary status” in 2005, meaning they had eliminated all vestiges of discrimination.

Now some fear that since the district is not being watched by the federal government, they could be reversing the many years of desegregation work. The school board says the reason for the proposed changes has nothing to do with reversing integration but is instead an effort to eliminate the cost of busing students. Community leaders say the reason for this rezoning plan is to keep minority and low-income students out of the more affluent neighborhood schools as parents at these schools feel minority and low income students are bringing down test scores. The community leaders such as Seminole County NAACP president Turner Clayton, Jr. also feel this plan will severely hurt the schools in lower-income neighborhoods. Clayton fears minority and low-income students will lose access to quality teachers and funding if schools are not fully integrated.

The school board will meet and vote on Tuesday, February 9 at 5:30 p.m. It is very important that the members of the community show up and call to voice their concerns. The meeting will be at the Educational Support Center located at 400 E. Lake Mary Blvd in Lake Mary. The following are school board members and contact information:

Diane Bauer: 407-320-0495 or 407-695-3552e-mail:Diane_Bauer@scps.k12.fl.us
Jeanne Morris: 407-320-0385e-mail:Jeanne_Morris@scps.k12.fl.us
*Sylvia Pond: 407-320-0371e-mail:Sylvia_Pond@scps.k12.fl.us
Sandra Robinson: 407-320-0381e-mail:Sandra_Robinson@scps.k12.fl.us
*Dede Schaffner: 407-320-0588e-mail:Dede_Schaffner@scps.k12.fl.us

*Expressed support for rezoning.