First, Judge Belvin Perry, former newscaster Carol Nelson Pond and Photo/Journalist Tee Taylor were welcomed as lifetime members of the University Club in downtown Orlando. This would have been unheard of 40 years ago when the only folks who were welcomed in the University Club were rich, old white guys.
So congratulations to these three who, in significant ways, have changed the landscape for good in Central Florida. And congratulations to the University Club for extending this lavish invitation.
The other thing that happened yesterday is that legendary Congressman, Alcee Hastings, died.
As a young attorney, Alcee arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida around the same time we did. It was a time when Blacks could not stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, go to while schools - and the list goes on. He and my husband, Ken, became good friends and worked together on projects, not only for African Americans but for women's rights. And in later yers Alcee went on to champion the LGBT community. 
In June of 2019, when we received word that Alcee Hastings had pancreatic cancer, I wrote a blog posting about the "soup incidents." U.S. Representative Hastings was the longest serving member in Florida's congregational delegation. He was the first African American to be elected to Congress in Florida since Reconstruction and was reelected 14 times.
My husband, Ken and I knew Alcee Hastings in the 70s and 80s when we lived and worked in South Florida. Alcee, the son of house-servants, was born in my current hometown, Altamonte Springs. But we knew him in South Florida at the height of racial tensions. He was a great friend and mentor to us in civil rights issues in the 1970s. At that time Ken was an urban minister (think community organizer.)
One of the things he taught us was how to keep our cool under pressure. A couple of times we witnessed the "soup incidents." The first time we were at a banquet. Alcee was seated next to me. A one point the waitress spilled soup all over him. His response was charming. I was concerned. He explained that spilling soup on him (by white waitpersons) was a common occurrence. I had to witness it one more time before I believed him.
Alcee Hastings political life back the was highly controversial, full of ups and downs. In the 1980s he was impeached in the House, tried in the Senate and ousted from office. This, despite having been acquitted of bribery charges. Ten years later, as a respected member of the House, he voted "no" on the impeachment of President Clinton.
And now, since 1992, he has served (and easily won) his seat in the House. Until the end he remained a savvy and popular congressman but, of course he was still controversial and still poking fun at his Republican opponents.
I hope the soup spilling stopped at some point.
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