by: Deanne King 

Posted: Mar 20, 2024 / 01:20 PM EDT 

Updated: Mar 20, 2024 / 01:21 PM EDT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Tampa City Council is moving forward with creating a racial reconciliation committee in an effort to address disparities that affect Tampa’s Black community. 

The move comes after the four-year-old project was brought to city leader’s attention during WFLA’s Rooted in Progress Black History Month special. Prior to the special, there wasn’t much movement on the reconciliation committee. It’s an effort that was spearheaded by the NAACP and was brought to council’s attention through former city councilman, Orlando Gudes. 

“The ask was to understand what African Americans had endured in the City of Tampa,” said Yvette Lewis, President of Hillsborough National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 

In August 2020, the NAACP pushed for a racial reconciliation resolution. That resolution included asking the city to apologize for their role in slavery and to help create a reconciliation committee to address issues facing the Black community. In September 2020, council approved the resolution. However, nothing happened until February 2024, when WFLA’s Rooted in Progress special aired. 

During the taping of the special, WFLA’s Deanne King asked Yvette Lewis, about her thoughts on why it has taken four years to see the creation of the reconciliation committee, something council said they would do in 2020. 

“The hope is that city government officials will listen and form the committees, especially for the resolution,” Lewis said. “So often, we find city government telling us what is best for us. Our voices were silenced back then, so when city government continues to tell us what’s best for us they are really perpetuating and keeping that stereotype going where they are telling us what is best for us.” 

WFLA’s Deanne King then asked Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera if there was something he could do about the four-year unkept promise. 

“The resolution board, I’ve had some private discussions with individuals,” Viera said. “I obviously voted for the resolution and would be proud to support that in Tampa City Council.”

A week after the taping of Rooted in Progress, Viera made due on his promise and discussed the reconciliation committee during council meeting. 

“I went on WFLA for a Black history interview and I was asked about the racial reconciliation committee,” Viera said. “I gave an answer, which was that I support it. I think it’s something we will have to discuss council.”

Viera said he wanted to make sure he kept his promise to the community. 

“When I was asked that question at the special, I thought about what I was going to say,” Viera said. “It was a genuine moment, but I wanted to make sure I answered correctly because the promise that I give, people are going to expect for me to do what I said I was going to do.”

That next city council meeting, the discussion about the racial reconciliation committee was on the agenda. Viera proposed moving forward with the reconciliation committee. That proposal included potential issues the committee could focus on, including: 

• Affordable and accessible housing
• Returning citizens
• Economic development, empowerment and entrepreneurship 
• The school to prison pipeline and our youth (including youth employment and training)
• Civic Engagement and restoration of rights
• Historical “truth telling”

The motion unanimously passed. 

“I think it’s great, it’s the right step, but my hopes are not that high yet because it took them four years to act on this one little thing,” Lewis said. 

Viera blames time and the pandemic as to why there was a four-year gap in action behind the promised committee. 

“It was a very busy year and sometimes things get set aside a little bit. It was 2020, it was COVID, a lot of different issues and certain things got put to the side,” Viera said. 

That is why Lewis is calling on nothing but physical action from city officials, so that the real work can begin. 

“They just put words on paper,” Lewis said. “We need to see something, we need to feel something. Words are not just holding up to us anymore. Our people are suffering in this city.
There are many things that can move fast, if they want it to, and this needs to move fast.”

The committee will be comprised of natives of Tampa, community leaders and more. Viera believes their partnership with city leaders will ultimately result in positive change. 

“It’s going to be on us, the elected officials,” Viera said. “The buck stops with us. The pressure has to be applied to us to do the right thing.”

It’s a move that is giving Lewis and the NAACP hope, which is something they didn’t necessarily have prior to February. 

“Rooted in Progress was amazing, thank you,” Lewis said. “It got our story out. It told our story. It’s so important because back then we were never allowed to be on tv. For me to sit across from someone who looks like me, it’s so powerful to see us on tv and telling our story.”

The approved proposal now sits on Mayor Jane Castor’s desk. Her team told WFLA that she supports the committee. Next, council and administrators will recommend citizens for the committee and that discussion will take place April 4.