By Don Valentine
Let’s not ignore the “White” elephant in the room. When you are affluent and white you have access to tools and privileges that most of us don’t come across so easily. Exhibit A: The Marjorie Stoneman Douglas high school students.
God, help them, they survived a heinous and life-changing tragedy. My commentary is not meant to be strident, but to make a point regarding a news story that is still getting national attention and huge local coverage one year later! Contrast this to the last time you heard a story about the mass shooting at the
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport, the Orlando gay nightclub shooting and the recent Sebring mass killing in a bank.
The prominent Black politicians in Broward, Dade and West Palm Beach counties have, thankfully, taken a wise position in recognizing the imbalance. They have collectively and independently decided not to give a lot of effort in support of these rich white kids from Parkland. They know that if it had happened in a school near Sistrunk, Miramar, or Carol City and the students were all Black – that news cycle would have lasted no longer than a week.
However, in the most affluent city in Broward county, where the students have money in their savings account for a flight to Washington along with hotel and food accommodations to meet with a congressional committee, the story takes on a different scenario as we have seen with the MSD students. Let me ask an academic question. What are the chances of Vern, Laquanda, Kevon and the like being able to make this trip to meet with a congressional committee, not to mention getting national publicity for a year and counting? I am guessing it is “SLIM AND NONE,” with Slim not even making it to the meeting !
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