Congressional District-10 Is In Trouble by Dr. V. Issa White
Commentary
Congressional District-10 Is In Trouble
By
Dr. V. Issa White
Congressional District 10–Orange County is in serious trouble. The Middle Class and Affluent Residents are departing in waves; leaving behind a District scurrying in economic decay, community confusion and rapid instability. Let’s look at the facts. 24% of children in Orange County live in poverty; 26% of residents live with serious housing insecurity; 27% of the white population lives below the poverty line; the graduation rate of Black students from the University of Central Florida, Rollins, and Valencia is the lowest of any demographic–15% compared to Latinos–30% and Whites 40.8%; while the unemployment and underemployment has rapidly increased.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit various communities in Bithlo and surrounding neighborhoods like Bunker Hills. Hard working, God fearing Americans who paid into its social security system who believed in the concept of thrift, trust and the American way are living in rusting mobile homes, shanties, and RV parks with the hope that someone will intervene to help them. Instead the current Congressional leader is taking and signing photographs, speaking in nondescript slogans/sound bites, and doing racial paternalistic watermelon diplomacy in Pine Hill by providing minimum funding to selected interests groups. While there are economic challenges in the inner city he has completely ignored that 22% of the residents in Bithlo live below the poverty line. The fact is, demographically Bithlo and Bunker Hills citizens don’t match his alleged support base; he and his handlers ignored the suffering of that community.
Another area that is lost and discarded by the Congressional leader is the Alafaya-University neighborhood. This community is primarily a Puerto Rican barrio of dedicated citizens who are regulated into paying outrageous rents for small and rodent infested apartments while laboring in the lowest paid jobs in District-10. The evidence is that 19.9% of the residents live below the national poverty line. Additionally, poverty stricken Azalea Park where 19% of the Catholic base community is living under the poverty level has now become an environment that is challenged by juvenile crime that is reflected in the lack of opportunity in the neighborhood.
The refusal or ignorance of the current Congressional leader to address these concerns is criminal. His lethargic behavior is contributing to housing displacement, homelessness and crime. Thousands of people in District-10 are suffering.
The current Congressional leader has operated racial and party politics to overtly ignore major sectors of the District that is and has been suffering for a long time. Many years ago at Bethune-Cookman University I joined the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Within the framework of the Sigma organization is a very simple and powerful directive: “Culture For Service and Service For Humanity.” That means that we are to give and help everyone. We are not cherry picking looking for potential votes. Until we have a man in Congress who has the heart of the people in his soul; District 10 is in a grave situation and is seriously in danger of further humanistic denigration.
