Welcome to BLOGGING BLACK MIAMI.The mission of this blog is to share items of interest to Blacks in the Miami area and commentary on experiences from the perspective of Black people. Feel free to leave a comment; follow us on Twitter and connect with us on Facebook.
- National Infant Mortality Awareness Month event to be held Saturday, September 17th -
MIAMI – Despite a statewide decrease in deaths among children younger than one year old, the infant mortality rate in Miami-Dade County has creeped upward, especially in black and Hispanic communities. Aimed at reversing this alarming increase, Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade (HSCMD) will host The Community Health & Education Fair. The event takes place Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Betty T. Ferguson Community Center, 3000 N.W. 199TH Street, in Miami Gardens, FL. The fair will equip women with intensive education and tools as they learn to care for themselves, infants and toddlers up to age five. A special program will begin at 11 a.m., when elected officials and community leaders will pledge commitment to supporting HSCMD’s services for local mothers and children.
Willie L. Bell, Jr. BKA Will “Da Real One” Bell, was gunned down early last Sunday morning as he was leaving his North Miami club, The Literary Café and Poetry Lounge. Various news reports describe him as a “poet” but Da Real One was more than that. He was a businessman, poetry guru/advocate and community activist.
I learned of his death through William “DC” Clark’s Facebook profile page. Clark was in disbelief as were others. I did what I usually do when there is breaking news, jump on Twitter and search for tweets on the topic. Oh yeah, it was true. Another victim of gun violence. When does the madness stop?
Here is but one of the touching tributes to Bell from a friend on Facebook:
Day two with out WILL DA REAL ONE,still trying to wrap my head around it but cant.thinking back many years ago while talking with him,he said he was going to change the poetry game he was going all in full speed ahead.me being the negative person i was at the time i said poetry is for "SUCKERS",he just laughed and looked at me and in comedic Will fashion told me then just sit back and watch me "SUCK" the life outta everybody with the words im gonna spit out my mouth.Lesson learned bro,you said it and you did it,and we all love you for that and the person you were to all.you will forever be an iconic figure,not just in the hood but world wide,because you touched lives any and everywhere you graced with your presence.
I only met Bell once several years ago. He was a cool guy. The spoken word community was devastated. Friends and those he mentored poured out their hearts on social media outlets. Mainstream media captured his tragic death from local news to CNN International.
Several fans showed respect for Bell at a candlelight vigil today. Of course there was candlelight, spoken word and tears. Will Bell overcome many obstacles in his life to provide an outlet for poets and, ironically, encourage young people to stop the violence.
There were witnesses to his shooting and it’s likely someone will come forth with information. Will Da Real One was loved by too many for this case to go cold. Anyone with information on this crime should contact the North Miami Police Department 305-891-8111 or Crimestoppers at 305-371-TIPS.
Mrs. Ida Mae Brown, mother of Hot Talk's Chief Jimmie Brown passed away recently. Services are as indicated below. Please keep the chief and the rest of the family in parayer.
Arrangements for Mrs. Ida Mae Brown (Chief Jimmie Brown's Mother)
Dr. Kenneth Monroe Wheeler transitioned on Friday, October 16, 2009. He was a beloved educator and administrator for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. A Celebration of His Life is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2009 at noon at New Way Fellowship Praise and Worship Center, 16800 NW 22nd Avenue, Opa-Locka, FL 33056. Visitation will be Friday, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm at New Way.
In lieu of flowers, The Wheeler Family encourages donations, in his memory, to the Juvenile Diabetics Research Foundation (JDRF), 3411 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 701, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309.
FT. LAUDERDALE - A fundraiser for slain 15 year old Nekitta Hamilton, daughter of Reggae singer Thriller U of the group LUST will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2009 from 12 noon to 6 pm at Top Hop Gardens, located at 4340 North State Rd. 7 (441 South of Commercial Bl.) Ft Lauderdale. Nekitta was killed last week at a home...Read More...
Yesterday was a melancholy kind of day. In addition to the rain, one of my favorite sorority sisters was laid to rest. Saying good-bye was difficult and in some ways, I was glad for the rain because it helped camouflage my tears.
Zeola Cohen Jones will be missed by many; not just her family and not just me. She had a way with people that was amazing to watch. Until the end of her life in the natural, she had the same infectious spirit.
Her legacy will live on through her children, grandchildren and the folks like me that she touched along the way. Rest in Peace, Soror Zee.
Out of the tragedy of the death of Michelle Coleman came the leadership of two of her friends: Keidra Miles and Trimel Bryant. They quickly called for a community gathering on ending the violence in the community and a memorial service celebrating Michelle Coleman. Unfortunately, Anthony Smith would pass away and the gathering would also mourn the loss of his life.
These young people, both in college, are signs of hope for our community. In a time when negativity garners the most publicity, it’s young people like Keidra and Trimel that should be celebrated. Our children have gone astray because of the words and images constantly before them. As adults, we seem to have thrown up our hands and given our next generation over to materialism, greed, selfishness and ignorance. When I meet young people like Keidra and Trimel, I am reminded that our future generations are blessed.
Initially, attendance for the gathering called for 6 pm, Friday, July 10 was sparse. With mainstream media out in force, surely there would be reports of apathy. But the people did come. Family, friends and strangers would join in prayer for the lives of the young ones who transitioned and for their killers. Calls for peace, love of self and love of community would be repeated but glaringly absent were elected officials, law enforcement representatives and other local community leaders and . If this epidemic is to be eradicated, all of us will be required to work together to make it happen.
Thank you Keidra and Trimel. You are a blessing to the community. Thank you for taking the lead in standing against violence.
Almost a month ago several people were injured and two three young people lost their lives in a shooting in Overtown. For a few days, there was an outcry by the community and coverage by the media. For a few days the friends, family and loved ones of Michelle Coleman (and her unborn child) and Anthony Smith seemed to be in almost every local newspaper and on every local television.
Almost a month later and what? Now, surely, law enforcement is investigating the case and I know from personal experience that the legal process is rarely swift. Homicide cases are not neatly solved within an hour as we see on television or 90 minutes like some movie; the process is slow. Painfully slow; especially for the families of the deceased.
Almost a month later, the police are working the investigation, but what are we doing as a community? Too many young people have died due to gun violence, what are we doing as a community? How do we prevent this from happening again?
How about starting with a loud, organized, unrelenting call for the restoration of the federal ban on assault weapons. Those weapons are used disproportionately in the murders of young people in our community. How many more of our children must die before we DO SOMETHING about it?
Death in the City, Part 2
Signs of Hope
Out of the tragedy of the death of Michelle Coleman came the leadership of two of her friends: Keidra Miles and Trimel Bryant. They quickly called for a community gathering on ending the violence in the community and a memorial service celebrating Michelle Coleman. Unfortunately, Anthony Smith would pass away and the gathering would also mourn the loss of his life.
These young people, both in college, are signs of hope for our community. In a time when negativity garners the most publicity, it’s young people like Keidra and Trimel that should be celebrated. Our children have gone astray because of the words and images constantly before them. As adults, we seem to have thrown up our hands and given our next generation over to materialism, greed, selfishness and ignorance. When I meet young people like Keidra and Trimel, I am reminded that our future generations are blessed.
Initially, attendance for the gathering called for 6 pm, Friday, July 10 was sparse. With mainstream media out in force, surely there would be reports of apathy. But the people did come. Family, friends and strangers would join in prayer for the lives of the young ones who transitioned and for their killers. Calls for peace, love of self and love of community would be repeated but glaringly absent were elected officials, law enforcement representatives and other local community leaders and . If this epidemic is to be eradicated, all of us will be required to work together to make it happen.
Thank you Keidra and Trimel. You are a blessing to the community. Thank you for taking the lead in standing against violence.
Posted on Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 04:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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