Jon Stewart’s Disdain for Florida May be Merited, BUT

Yes, I get my news from Jon’s “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.  However, it seems that every time he mentions Florida, there is not just a drip of derision, there is a deluge–not that some of it is not warranted.  After all, we are the state where a man was murdered in a theatre for texting his babysitter to check on his sick child.  Daniel Ruth, writer for the Tampa Bay Times, sardonically reports that Tampa has the highest number of mug shots of Justin Bieber in the country.  Of course, who can forget Florida’s “hanging chads” debacle in the 2008 Presidential Selection? And so many more…

BUT, Florida also has redeeming stories that, in fact, go beyond redemption to being worthy of being replicated around the country. Before leaving the state for my On the Road Trip, I will capture four of these stories for Operation Bon Appetit, just a tiny sample of such stories in Florida.

The people that I will be interviewing are engaged in work that is visionary and transformational. Briefly, here is why I am featuring them on our video series.

Nadine Smith is a lesbian (also Black and female—the Trifecta of The Oppressed) who grew up in Florida at a time when the LBTG Movement could not even be imagined.  Nadine was not yet a teenager when Anita Bryant launched her Save the Children’s Campaign to successfully defeat the Miami/Dade County anti-discrimination ordinance before the campaign gained momentum nationally.  In 1995, the Hillsborough County Commissioners voted to bar gays from the county’s Human Rights Ordinance. But, by then Nadine was the fearless, articulate and uber-smart Executive Director of Human Rights Florida, predecessor to Equality Florida, an organization that Nadine has put on the leading edge of the Gay Rights Movement in the US.

George and Val Sherman are educators and an unassuming middle class couple, who also happen to be engaged in an agricultural revolution in Zambia, Africa.  It all began with a Skype chat with Victor Phiri, who was participating in the Earth Charter US Global Community Summits in 2007.  George was impressed with Victor’s activism in the Workers Education Association of Zambia and his biking for miles to reach a spot where Wi-Fi could connect them. The Shermans learned about the struggles in Zambia where the longevity rate is 42 years of age. Today, with Victor’s critical assistance, they are involved in the importation of small tractors, the same ones that launched the agricultural revolution in China, and the formation of farming cooperatives that are creating economically sustainable livelihoods.

Phyllis and Orland Rodriquez,’s life was shattered by the death of their son, Greg, in the World Trade Center tragedy on September 11^th.  Despite their overwhelming grief, they struggled to rebuild their lives on the principles of nonviolence and compassion. They opposed the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as an answer to what happened. Remarkably, their compassion drove them to befriend the mother of avowed 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and to speak out against anti-Muslim actions.  They produced the film, “In Our Son’s Name”, an intimate portrait of their son and their journey together to challenge conventional ideas and to bring healing to the justice system.

Champions for Children of Tampa Bay (CFCTB) houses a variety of innovative programs for all families regardless of income. The foundation of their program planning is a nontraditional approach to the education and empowerment of parents. Sometimes the simplest twist can have profound impact. For example, former Executive Director Paul D’Agostino’s approach to the holiday toy drive for low income kids was to establish a Holiday Store stocked from toy drives with terrific gifts for kids of all ages. The parents come to “shop” with their children’s Santa lists in their hands. They are the Santas to their own kids, becoming empowered in the process while making sure their kids’ wishes are fulfilled.

Hopefully, Jon Stewart, you will pipe down a bit about Florida’s shortcomings—until, of course, we do something else stupid or tragic that puts us at the top of the news again.

Now, to indulge myself in a glass of Pouilly Fuisse and a dish of goat cheese and grape pasta sparked with the zest of Florida oranges.

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