If there's one person qualified to speak authoritatively about the state of race relations in Tampa, it's probably Arthenia Joyner.

At 62, the sweep of her experience extends from being arrested three times during the civil rights movement to serving on the boards of organizations devoted to child, elder and health care; family relations; education; housing; business; development; commercial aviation; criminal justice; labor; legal aid; and more.

She also has her own law practice - Joyner & Jordan- Holmes. A Democrat, she was elected to the Legislature in 2000, representing a House district tucked between Interstates 75 and 275 and running from a point near Temple Terrace southward to Progress Village and Riverview. She was re- elected in 2002.

Although born in Lakeland, Joyner moved to east Tampa with her family in the late 1940s when her father, Henry Joyner, opened The Cotton Club. A newer nightspot with the same name sits on North Albany Avenue now, but the two aren't connected.

The old Cotton Club stood along Central Avenue, the heart of Tampa's black community until much of the neighborhood was bulldozed in the name of urban renewal in the 1960s and early '70s. The club closed in 1974.

Many in Tampa who remember the neighborhood still grieve over its passing. Everyone knew everyone else. The neighbors were one big extended family.

``Everything we needed was there,'' Joyner says.

After attending public school in Tampa, Joyner earned a political science degree from Florida A&M University in 1964 and got her law degree from FAMU in 1968. In between she returned to town to teach school.

Growing up, Joyner says, she ``got the best of everything'' - including strong values. One she mentions often is something her father told her repeatedly. It's from the New Testament and sometimes found its way into the speeches of President Kennedy: ``To whom much is given, much is expected.''

Here is how Joyner sees the state of race relations in Tampa today.

Joyner: Tampa has come miles. ... In the '50s and '60s, when we had our own black business district, it was a great time for this community. Lawyers, newspapermen, barbers, bar owners, doctors. Everything we needed was there. ... Those were segregated times, but they were wonderful times. ...

Tampa has had a black [police] chief, fire chief, city clerk, county commissioners, city council people. We have black elected officials citywide and from [Hillsborough County Commission] districts. [But] not in Hillsborough County, not countywide, [although] for the first time there is a black county attorney.

Tribune: I've heard so much about Central Avenue. ...

Joyner: Central Avenue was the great African village. Everybody took an interest in you. They instilled in you that you could be anything.

Tribune: Was it easier for you to find your way because you were privileged?

Joyner: Being ``privileged'' doesn't mean anything if you're black. I didn't get to where I am because I'm Henry Joyner's daughter. I'm standing on the shoulders of a lot of people.

Tribune: There is still racism ...

Joyner: If you're black in America, whether you're [former Secretary of State] Colin Powell or a garbage man, you're still going to have problems - just because of the color of your skin. ... But you learn to deal with it. You don't let it get in your way.

Tribune: What does it mean to have ... a black county attorney and you being elected to the House?

Joyner: It indicates some barriers have been knocked down. And it can be done again. ... [Now we need] a black to run countywide for county commission. That's a goal we need to seek. ... We need to expand to the length and width of this county.

Tribune: Are there still problems in Tampa?

Joyner: There's still a perception of inequality. There are still those who believe Tampa is a country town which has a long way to go. And there are those who believe Tampa is a metropolis and on the move. I don't think Tampa is where it should be. ... As [poet Robert] Frost said: ``We have miles to go before we sleep.''

Tribune: What can be done to lift up the minority communities that are still struggling? What should be done? And by whom?

Joyner: East Tampa needs revitalization. ... The challenge is to bring companies and businesses to that area. In that regard, we've got to first get the drugs out of the community. But it's a work in progress.

It's going to take more than the mayor's efforts. It's going to take the black community, the business community, the mayor's efforts, elected officials, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce to put their efforts together to jointly revitalize east Tampa like they did Ybor City.

If east Tampa progresses, then it's a star in Tampa's crown. It increases the tax rolls. It increases the economic viability.

Tribune: What is it that the white power structure doesn't really get?

Joyner: Black people want the same things out of life everyone else wants - decent jobs, a home, ownership of a business and education. And a right to upward mobility without regard to what color they are.

Diversity is achieved when you make it a goal. Boards, community, labor force. ... It can't just be people at the bottom end of the [ladder]. There are people who are qualified to hold every position in every corporation. There are Hispanics who are qualified. We've got to make that a goal.

Will Rodgers