Mr. Jetie B. Wilds Jr.

TAMPA - Political activist Jetie B. Wilds Jr. believed the U.S. system of politics is imperfect, run by imperfect people, yet still the best one in the world because of a free flow of information.

Wilds lived this belief by keeping the flow going - through his radio show on WTMP 1150-AM, his column in Ybor City's trilingual La Gaceta newspaper, and his "Saturday Morning Breakfast Group" with leaders of local ethnic communities.

Because of this, said La Gaceta editor Patrick Manteiga, it would be a mistake to remember Wilds simply as an African-American leader.

Wilds died Sunday. He was 74.

"He was black and dealt with black issues but he was concerned with the betterment of the entire community and was one of the best at bringing together people of all races and colors," Manteiga said. "He would never have pressed an agenda that would not improve the entire community."

In his final La Gaceta column, Sept. 13, Wilds took the view that developing property should not come at the price of displacing people who lack better options, regardless of their skin color or ethnicity.

It's an issue arising again and again as Tampa seeks to redevelop its downtown area.

Wilds was best known for his radio show, "The Citizen's Report," on the air from the late 1990s through 2011 then again earlier this year until his death.

While he would often tackle issues affecting the African-American community, his main goal was to show that this community's concerns were the same as everyone's - that race and ethnicity do not define.

"He got his roots in the civil rights movement," said daughter Jemelle Wild. "But his motto was whatever is best for all the people."

It was a cause he furthered through his breakfast group, African-American leaders who would meet every Saturday morning at the Open Cafe in East Tampa to discuss pressing political matters. They would invite one leader from other communities to sit in and hear their concerns.

"He wanted everyone on the same page," said Manteiga, among the regular invited guests.

Another, said James Ransom - Wilds' close friend - was Joe Capitano, owner of Radiant Oil and an Ybor City activist.

"He was comfortable with everyone – Italians, Spanish, you name it," Ransom said. "And everyone got along with him and loved him."

The Saturday before he died was the only gathering Wilds missed in the breakfast group's eight years, Ransom said.

"What my father was always trying to do was leave a legacy he got from his father," daughter Jemelle Wild said. "And that was that there are always members of the community that need our help and we always need to be mindful of that."

One of 12 children, Wilds learned the intricacies of the political system at a young age by volunteering for campaigns with his father, Jetie Wilds Sr.

Wilds supported candidates his father believed in by passing out fliers, putting up signs and - as he grew older - going door-to-door to lecture residents on the issues.

"My father always told me that information is power," Wilds said in a June 2000 interview in La Gaceta. "Not many things ring more true than that."

Wilds' father, Ransom said, was well-known at the West Tampa Sandwich Shop, a popular destination for the Latin community to sip coffee and debate politics.

"Jetie's father was loved by the Latin judges and politicians," Ransom said. "So Jetie was raised talking politics with people of all ethnicities. It was natural for him."

Wilds attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he took part in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

He later returned to Tampa and taught middle school math before relocating to Portland, Oregon, to work as an environmental education specialist organizing the community to fight for a cleaner environment.

While there he enrolled in Portland State University and received a master's degree in urban studies.

Wilds then spent time in Washington, D.C., as an activist specializing in environmental issues affecting the African-American community.

He returned to Tampa in 1996 and soon after began his career in radio

Wilds served on the board of directors of the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs and was a former member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years Ozepher, two daughters, Jemelle and Jeria Wilds, and two grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church, 2002 N Rome Ave.

"He was a people servant. He was a community servant. He was not a self-servant," Ransom said. "Everything he did was for others and the betterment of the community. That is how he should be remembered."