Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink turned down an offer no other Florida politician running for statewide office would consciously refuse. And Miami-Dade-based pastor/broadcaster/activist Bishop Victor T. Curry was an unhappy man.
Curry is director of social justice for the Florida General Baptist Convention, Florida’s largest association of Black ministers. He is president and general manager of WMBM-AM, Miami-Dade’s Black-owned gospel radio station, and host of “Tuesday Talk,” a popular call-in radio talk show.
He is pastor of New Birth Cathedral of Faith International, Miami-Dade’s largest Black church, with some 10,000 members on the rolls. He also is president of the Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP.
Had her chance
On Tuesday, Curry told South Florida listeners that he had been trying for months to give candidate Sink a forum, before a predominantly Black audience, to lay out her vision for Florida. Curry said that Sink initially refused his offer in April to speak to Black ministers gathering statewide for an Orlando meeting.
Sink did agree to participate in the Miami-Dade NAACP branch’s political forum set for Oct. 18. The forum has been traditionally considered a mandatory stop for candidates competing for Black votes in the county with Florida’s largest Black population.
Curry agreed to allow Sink to stop by New Birth during its Sunday morning service the day before the forum, and to give Sink one hour of free time on his “Tuesday Talk” radio show the day after the forum, to answer questions.
But at the last minute, Sink’s entourage – including State Sen. Frederica Wilson, a favorite to win U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek’s congressional seat – evidently decided to bypass New Birth on Sunday, “drive by’’ other Black churches in Miami-Dade, and to duck the political forum on Monday. Wilson didn’t show up at the forum either.
The forum, featuring candidates for state, federal, and local elective offices, went on as scheduled on Monday night. It was moderated by local CBS news anchor Elliot Rodriguez and MSNBC commentator Joy Reid and was streamed live online. The Rev. Al Sharpton was a guest speaker.
Forum sponsors included the Florida State Council of the AFL/CIO, the Service Employees International Union, and the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, among others. Approximately 1,000 people – many of whom were Black Democrats – showed up.
Carroll gets respect
Sink, who was still in South Florida, didn’t send a surrogate in her place. Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott sent Jennifer Carroll, his running mate, to represent him.
Carroll, a Black female Republican and a life member of the NAACP, delivered Scott’s message about job creation and the importance of supporting Black and small businesses. The result: Grudging respect for her for showing up and advocating for Scott, who is trailing among Black voters.
Disrespected
The next day, Curry and WMBM listeners castigated both the Democratic Party and Sink for more than two hours.
“I’ve done everything in my little power to give Alex Sink a chance to talk to pastors, people, and parishioners…all I get is calls about ‘She wants to meet with you,’” Curry fumed.
“I’ll meet with you in private when you meet with the people in public. I want to know what you are gonna do for the people…Don’t come to the church and mess up my preaching time, slip out the side door, and go mess up somebody else’s preaching time.
“…(W)e play the same old political games…(Politicians) pimp us, they pimp the church, they pimp the preacher… and when you try to have something that will be substantive, something that will help, encourage, inspire, motivate the people…‘Naw, I ain’t coming to that. I just want to come into your church on Sunday morning, and raise my hand, and say please vote for me, because you all don’t like Rick Scott.’
“…Respect Black folk! Do something for poor people! I’ve never asked any politician in private to do something for Victor Curry… And your handlers, whoever the hell they are, they don’t know the Black community from the back of their hand.
“Rick Scott is a right-wing extremist…but I will not vote for Alex Sink just because I don’t like Rick Scott. If I keep seeing this disrespect from these people, I will hold my nose and vote for Jennifer Carroll – that will be my rationale for voting for Rick Scott.”
Said one caller: “I haven’t blotted my spot in (filled out the ballot) yet, so nobody’s guaranteed in…I will not be voting for (Sink), not just because she didn’t show, but because I haven’t heard her say anything.
“Sen. Wilson is not an incumbent. That seat she’s running for, she never sat in it, and it’s not a guaranteed seat.”
Another caller, Odessa Simmons, said, “We’ve lived through slavery, not just (the) Bushes. We’ve lived through Reconstruction, Jim Crow…(s)ometimes we have to be all the way down looking up before we come to our senses as a people.
“I can truthfully say that she (Sink) would not have my vote. Maybe Ms. Carroll can slap Scott upside the head before he goes too far right.”
COMPILED FROM STAFF OF FLORIDA COURIER, (WWW.FLCOURIER.COM)
AND WIRE REPORTS
