Spelman College Class of 1974 alumnae mark their upcoming 50th anniversary by committing to raise $1 million to address the most urgent student needs.

ATLANTA, GA – Taking a major step beyond merely reuniting for their 50^th anniversary since walking across the stage as graduates of Spelman College, leaders of the class of 1974 have opted to give back to their alma mater and its current students, having developed and launched the national “Women for Golden Futures” (WFGF) fundraising initiative.

With their set goal to raise $1 million dollars annually in philanthropic donations within the next year, the group is rallying alumnae friends of Spelman, Black female entrepreneurs, and those who want to make a difference to unite and invest in, affirm, and support the nation’s young Black women who will positively transform the world. The funds raised through the campaign will go directly to the college. They will be used specifically for the Women for Golden Futures Scholarship and the Student Support Fund for those deserving young women whose education and futures are at risk due to a shortage of financial resources.

“This is a unique effort that welcomes supporters to contribute to helping fulfill the dreams and aspirations of our nation’s coming generations of Black women leaders,” says Mildred Whittier, WFGF campaign spokesperson. “Anyone is invited to partner with us. One may not necessarily be an alumna of Spelman College, but all of us have a keen awareness of the need, as well as the critical importance of uplifting our young Black women—especially in times like these,” she added.

“Our heartfelt intent is to help anchor our young women by providing financial assistance to cover vital costs like housing, food insecurity, technology equipment, books, medical attention, childcare, transportation, school fees and more,” Whittier relates further. “While the College certainly works hard to secure funding for emergency student assistance, we want to step up and do our part to fill the gap, and make sure that that funding is never depleted so they can stay in the classroom and continue their educational journeys. If not us, then whom?”

For more information and to give to the “Women for Golden Futures” campaign, visit: www.womenforgoldenfutures.org. Specify Women for Golden Futures as the donor designation. Or, to contribute by mail, make all checks payable to:

Spelman College
Designate in Memo:  Women for Golden Futures
Mail to: Office of Annual Giving, Spelman College
ATTN: WFGF

350 Spelman Lane SW, Box 1551
Atlanta, GA 30314

Spelman College is a tax-exempt organization defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Gifts to the College are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in educating women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, Spelman is the country's leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.D.’s in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The College’s status is confirmed by U.S. News & World Report, which ranked Spelman No. 51 among all liberal arts colleges, No. 19 for undergraduate teaching, No. 5 for social mobility among liberal arts colleges, and No. 1 for the 16^th year among historically Black colleges and universities.

Notable Spelman alumnae include actress Esther Rolle of Good Times; local radio personality and journalist Traci Cloyd; archivist and founder of The Black Archives - Dorothy Jenkins Fields; actress Keshia Knight Pulliam; actress Danielle Deadwyler; social media influencer and multi-talented performer Lynae Vanee; author Alice Walker; political leader Stacey Abrams; lawyer, minister, and activist Bernice King; and corporate business leader Rosalind Brewer. 

To learn more, please visit spelman.edu and @spelmancollege on social media.

Father’s Day is a special day dedicated to honoring the father figures in our lives. It is a day to celebrate and appreciate the love, guidance, and support that fathers provide. On this day, we take the time to express our gratitude and show our love for our dads and father figures.

The origins of Father’s Day can be traced back to the early 20th century. It was first celebrated in the United States in 1910 when a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor her father, who had raised her and her siblings as a single parent. She proposed the idea of a day to celebrate fathers, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910.

Since then, Father’s Day has become a popular holiday around the world. It is celebrated on different dates in different countries, but the sentiment remains the same – to honor and appreciate the role of fathers in our lives.

On Father’s Day, families often gather together to spend time with their dads. This may involve going out for a special meal, giving gifts, or simply spending time doing activities that the father enjoys. It is also a time to reflect on the positive impact that fathers have on their children’s lives and to express gratitude for their love and support.

Father’s Day can be a difficult time for those who have lost their fathers or who have strained relationships with them. It is important to remember that not all families are the same and that Father’s Day can be celebrated in many different ways. Some may choose to honor father figures who are not biologically related or to celebrate the role of single mothers who have fulfilled both parental roles.

Whatever your situation may be, Father’s Day is a reminder of the importance of family and the love that we share with those who have helped shape us into the people we are today. So, take the time to appreciate your father and father figures this Father’s Day, and let them know just how much they mean to you.

American history will forever remember the 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, officially signed into law a Juneteenth National Independence Day on June 17, 2021. Juneteenth is short for June 19. On that day in 1865, U.S. Major General Gordon Granger notified the enslaved African Americans in Texas that they were free, or at least that is the big lie, so many of us were told and have repeated ad nauseam.

For 158 years, blacks in Texas have celebrated this holiday. One woman, Opal Lee, made it her life's work to see that Juneteenth became a national holiday in the United States. It took her decades, but she accomplished her mission. She is proof that persistence wins and the power of one person can move mountains.

If you don't understand anything else about Juneteenth, know that its history is messy, brutal, painful, and shameful. Depending on your ethnicity, age, and academic training, you might know a lot about Juneteenth, or you might know very little. Either way, the establishment of Juneteenth as a national holiday has triggered interest and much-needed conversation about the Civil War, Reconstruction, reparations, and the vestiges of anti-black racism that remain in society.

Here are five facts you should know when celebrating Juneteenth:

1.    Blacks knew they were free BEFORE U.S. Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.

In his article, The Hidden History Of Juneteenth, historian Gregory P. Downs documents a conversation with former slave Felix Haywood. He was one of more than 2,300 former slaves interviewed during the Great Depression by members of the Federal Writers' Project, a New Deal agency in the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

"We knowed what was goin' on in [the war] all the time," said Haywood, "We all felt like heroes and nobody had made us that way but ourselves."

Felix Haywood

2.    The last of the enslaved people were not free upon the legal notification of the emancipation of blacks in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.

Proclamations, pronouncements, and declarations did not free enslaved Black people. Some stubborn Texans continued to keep blacks in bondage months after Granger and some 2,000 Union soldiers rode into Texas.

Remember the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in the Confederate States still in rebellion in 1863 (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, and North Carolina), but not those in North-South border states. Blacks remained enslaved in Maryland, Delaware, Missouri, and Kentucky for almost six months after Juneteenth because their state legislatures rejected the 13th Amendment after Congress passed it in January 1865. Slavery was legally banned upon the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December 1865.

Also, note that Native American territories were not subject to U.S. jurisdiction in the matter of slavery. Consequently, after Juneteenth 1865, about 10,000 blacks remained enslaved among five prominent Native American tribes --- the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. It would also be a year later before enslaved blacks were freed from Native American territories. So some of you need to think on that when you hear a black person brag about having "good hair" because they have Indians in their family. [Insert side-eye.]

3. President Abraham Lincoln was not an abolitionist.

As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Lincoln was accused of supporting "negro equality" by his opponent, Stephen Douglas. On September 18, 1858, in Charleston, Illinois, Lincoln clarified his position during a debate.
 

"I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and Black races," said Lincoln. He also said he opposed Blacks having the right to vote, to serve on juries, to hold office and to intermarry with whites.

So, don't get it twisted, President Lincoln freed enslaved blacks not out of benevolence but for political reasons and as a war tactic. If the secessionist Confederate States had accepted Lincoln's Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, enslaved blacks would have remained in legal bondage. Still, since the stubborn Southerners refused to give up, Lincoln took away their best asset, the enslaved blacks.

4. The Compromise of 1877 marked the end of the Reconstruction Era and resulted in the dismantling of much of the progress of African Americans.

Despite Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws enacted after the Emancipation Proclamation, newly emancipated African Americans made tremendous progress. Blacks ran for political office, opened schools, and started businesses.
           
During this period of Reconstruction (1865-1877), Blacks were members of the Republican Party, and the Democrats were the Party of slaveholders. Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden were candidates for President of the United States. The election results were highly disputed, much like what the country is still experiencing since the presidential election of 2020. During a secret meeting, an unwritten deal was made; Democrat Samuel Tilden agreed to allow Republican Rutherford B Hayes to become President of the United States if Hayes would agree to pull the troops from the South that were protecting emancipated Blacks.

The shock of the violence of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the White House was mild in comparison to the terror, death, and destruction heaped upon Blacks after the troops were pulled from the South. Yep, the Republicans and the Democrats. [Insert side-eye, again.]


5. While June 19, 1865, symbolizes our national day of observance of the end of slavery, those of us in Florida should know our state's Emancipation Day is May 20, 1865.

After the end of the Civil War, on May 10, 1865, Union Brigadier General Edward M. McCook arrived in Tallahassee to take possession of the capital from Southern rebels. On May 20, 1865, after official control of the region was transferred to Union forces, he declared the Emancipation Proclamation in effect. That same day an announcement arrived in Tallahassee sent by Major General Quincy A. Gillmore via train from Jacksonville. General Gillmore's Special Order Number 63 noted that "the people of the black race are free citizens of the United States."

In conclusion:

It is incumbent upon us to ensure the true history of Emancipation Day in Florida, Juneteenth, and the Reconstruction Amendments are taught despite legislation enacted and practices implemented to whitewash and in some cases eliminated. When necessary, we must teach our children history outside of the traditional public and private school setting. 

With the expeditious bipartisan approval of the 117^th Congress to make Juneteenth a national federal holiday, let's always be mindful of what this holiday represents and the progress yet to be made for equitable treatment of Black people in America. Let's not allow Juneteenth to become just another day off from work and school. Let us demonstrate the proper homage to our ancestors. Let's share our history not from the lens of trauma porn but from a perspective of pride in the achievements of our ancestors and commitment to duplicate their success despite obstacles and deception.
 

(This post was originally published on June 19, 2021.)

Never forget the 49 victims gunned down in Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida USA on June 12, 2016. See their names and ages at the end of this article.

Today is the seven-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, USA. It was last call for drinks and shortly after 2 AM, on June 12, 2016, when 29-year-old American born Omar Mateen, breached the entrance of the popular gay gathering place and proceeded to attack the more than 300 patrons inside. Officer Adam Gruler, working off-duty security at Pulse, briefly exchanged gunfire with the shooter and quickly recognized his firepower was outmatched. Gruler called for back up which arrived within a couple of minutes. Some victims lay dead in the club while others texted loved ones and called 911 as they attempted to hide in various spaces throughout the club. Some even used deceased victims to conceal themselves.  After a three-hour standoff, the shooter was killed. The tragedy resulted in the death of 49 victims, the shooter, and 68 people injured.

Regardless of his reason or motivation, it is indisputable that Omar Mateen gunned down 49 people in the Pulse Nightclub. They were individuals of various ages, backgrounds, and sexual identity. Pulse was their safe space.

We tend to only focus on those who died during tragedies such as the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. We should also never forget the survivors and the loved ones who endure the pain of the loss each day and especially during commemorations such as this anniversary.

To understand the gravity of the devastation of The Pulse Massacre, please see the interactive portraits created via the Dear World Project. Please take the time to read these stories of Pulse survivors, family members, and first responders.

From that tragedy grew the onePULSE Foundation, a nonprofit established to create a sanctuary of hope and honor and preserve the legacy of the 49 killed, those injured, and countless others affected. On the site of the Pulse Nightclub will be a memorial and museum with educational programs and legacy scholarships.

State flags in Florida have been ordered to fly at half-staff today for Pulse Remembrance Day. This has been done for several years since the incident. It appears particularly hypocritical and only symbolic considering the increased attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and throughout the country. Especially the attacks through legislation and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to denounce the hateful public protests by White nationalists showcasing swastikas and spewing racial epithets.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts will be the site of this year’s Pulse Remembrance Ceremony in Orlando. Sadly, Florida has become a very hostile place for LGBTQ+, Black people, Jewish people, immigrants, and others. No matter who espouses hate, no matter their station in life and their power to impact our lives, let us remember the words of Pulse Massacre survivor Angel Colon,

Love, hope, positivity.

Move forward.

You’ll be fine.

THE 49 PEOPLE GUNNED DOWN IN THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB MASSACRE IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA ON JUNE 12, 2016.

FIRST ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT) Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34; Stanley Almodovar III, 23; Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20; Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22; Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36; Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22; Luis S. Vielma, 22.

SECOND ROW Kimberly Morris, 37; Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30; Darryl Roman Burt II, 29; Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32; Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21; Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25; Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35.

THIRD ROW Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50; Amanda Alvear, 25; Martin Benitez Torres, 33; Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37; Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26; Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35; Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25.

FOURTH ROW Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31; Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26; Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25; Miguel Angel Honorato, 30; Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40; Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32; Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19.

FIFTH ROW Cory James Connell, 21; Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37; Luis Daniel Conde, 39; Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33; Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25; Jerald Arthur Wright, 31; Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25.

SIXTH ROW Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25; Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24; Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27; Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33; Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49; Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24; Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32.

SEVENTH ROW Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28; Frank Hernandez, 27; Paul Terrell Henry, 41; Antonio Davon Brown, 29; Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24; Akyra Monet Murray, 18; Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25.

Photo:  Daily Mail

Celebrate Music & Culture at Music Fest Orlando on March 25, 2023, at the Central Florida Fairgrounds

Orlando, FL  – Music Fest Orlando is the ultimate music and cultural experience in the heart of Orlando. This premier music festival is bringing together some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry with an eclectic artist lineup of national and award-winning R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul, and afrobeat artists, including Fantasia, Babyface, Goodie Mob, Plies, Lyfe Jennings, the 69 Boyz, JT Money, Levelle, KowKow, and Pretti Emage.  Also, the special local artist segment features performances by Arkeshia, Ashley Peck, Lolita, and The Don D'rel.  The one-day outdoor live music festival will be hosted by acclaimed comedian, actor, and national radio personality, Rickey Smiley on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.

"Music Fest Orlando's focus is building the ultimate festival experience, bringing together family, friends, and music lovers of all genres while creating an economic impact on our community through scholarship opportunities and internships. Also, the festival will allow up-and-coming local artists to showcase their talents on a big stage, positioning them on a platform that will assist them in elevating their careers to the next level.," said Music Fest Orlando Founder Ernest Wilson.

Music Fest Orlando is a celebration of Black music and culture and a party with a purpose. A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities through the HBCU Initiative. This initiative seeks to provide students in the Central Florida area with financial assistance to further their post-high school education.

In addition to the live performances, the 2023 Music Fest Orlando will feature delectable bites and a myriad of retail buys from the Merchandise Village. Also, during the weekend, attendees can enjoy a pre-social party hosted by artist CeeLo Green, the night before the festival, March 24, 2023, at Dove Cote in the heart of downtown Orlando.  For tickets and more information, visit www.musicfestorlando.com.

Va-Va Byers

It’s hard to believe that the first month of 2023 has transpired and we are already well into February but here we are. Well, you know, if it’s February, it must be Black History Month. That’s cool for most people but for us, in February, we are unapologetically EXTRA Blackitty Black because we celebrate and honor our Blackness all year. The 2023 Black History theme is Black Resistance. That is needed in Miami and throughout Florida, because the level of disrespect and anti-Blackness is unreal. No one is going to save us but us. So let's STAY WOKE!

We find ourselves dealing with the trauma of the lynching of Tyre Nichols by five black cops in Memphis; continuing anti-Blackness culture wars from Republican leaders in Tallahassee; the takeover of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Board by Miami commissioners; the politicization of the Miami-Dade County School Board and disrespect of Black, seasoned board members (No, two Black Teachers of the Year won’t compensate for that. We celebrate them, though.); the reneging of funds promised to the Circle of Brotherhood and public grilling by Miami commissioners; and a symbolic attempt at we don’t know what by Miami Police with a Black History Month themed police cruiser. We still haven’t forgotten about the execution-style shooting of Antwon Cooper by a Miami cop during a routine traffic stop in Liberty City in March 2022. So, miss us with that, please.

Please get out and vote in the City of Miami District 2 race on February 27. Confirm your voting status now.

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou

At noon, on Monday, February 6th, Corporal George J. Johnson, one of the few living Montford Point Marines and the family of the late Corporal Moses Williams will receive their replica Congressional Gold Medal at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale.

“If it were a question of having a Marine Corps of 5,000 whites or 250,000 Negroes, I would prefer the whites. …They are trying to break into a club that does not want them.”

General Thomas Holcomb
United States Marine Corps
17^th Commandant (1936-1943)

Such was the position of the leadership of the United States Marine Corps regarding the African American men who integrated the Corps on August 26, 1942. To stave off a threatened March-on-Washington led by labor union and civil rights leader, A. Philip Randolph, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, amid a re-election campaign, reluctantly agreed to integrate the Marine Corps. Thus, the Montford Point Marines were born. They were a social experiment. The men were allowed in the Marine Corps to prove that Blacks could not be Marines.

However, between 1942-1949, some 20,000 African American men would become Montford Point Marines. The men were subjected to inhumane living conditions, racial taunting, and physical abuse. The initial recruits had to build their segregated training camp, Montford Point Camp — by hand. Despite those obstacles, the Montford Point Marines proved their doubters wrong.

At noon, on Monday, February 6^th, Corporal George J. Johnson, one of the few living Montford Point Marines and the family of the late Corporal Moses Williams will receive their replica Congressional Gold Medal. On November 23, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines. This award recognizes the contributions of the Montford Point Marines to the Marine Corps and the United States of America during a time of tremendous hardship and segregation. The original medal was collectively presented to the Montford Point Marines at a U.S. Capitol ceremony on June 27, 2012.

Local hero, Corporal George J. Johnson is 101-years-young. After graduating from Dillard High School in 1942, Johnson registered for the Selective Service. He became a Montford Point Marine shortly after his 22^nd birthday in 1943.

While at Montford Point Camp, Johnson was trained as a military police officer. He also served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater from 1945 to 1946. Johnson briefly enrolled in Florida A&M College, now Florida A&M University, in Tallahassee. He met Hannah Marie Gaines there, whom he would later marry. They lived in New York until Johnson retired from a career in law enforcement. Mrs. Johnson passed away in 2013.

Inarguably, Corporal Johnson is living American history. He, Corporal Williams, and their fellow Montford Pointers are the standard of patriotism and perseverance. They are due the respect and reverence they have earned. So they can be properly documented in the register of the Montford Point Marines and their Congressional Gold Medal awarded, if you know a living or deceased Montford Point Marine, contact the National Montford Point Marine Association at MontfordPointMarines.org.

To attend the local Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony:

In the Company of Greatness: Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
   for Montford Point Marines – Corporal George J. Johnson and Corporal Moses Williams
Noon, Monday, February 6, 2023
African American Research Library and Cultural Center
2650 Sistrunk Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL  33311

The ceremony is free and open to the public.

Please visit these related links for important historical information on the Montford Point Marines:

Our America: Mission Montford Point [VIDEO]

The Mission to Find Montford Point Marines [VIDEO]

The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom [VIDEO]

Montford Point Marines Congressional Gold Medal Parade, June 28, 2012 [VIDEO]

NEW YORK -- PEN America called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s announcement of a broad outline of legislation to restrict the historic autonomy of higher education “a grave threat to free speech and academic freedom” at Florida’s public colleges and universities.

Among other changes, the governor’s proposals announced Tuesday would ban critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI) at universities; effectively end tenure protections by giving boards of trustees hiring and firing power over faculty; rewrite university mission statements; compel colleges and universities to deprioritize certain fields that are deemed to further a “political agenda”; and “overhaul and restructure” New College of Florida, whose new board of trustees, made up largely of conservative pundits, on Tuesday fired the college president and replaced her with a political ally of the governor.

In response to the proposals, Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, released the following statement:

“These proposals represent nothing less than an effort to substitute the dictates of elected officials for the historic autonomy of higher education institutions. If enacted, they would unquestionably pose a grave threat to free speech on Florida campuses. The core freedom that is a vital prerequisite of academic research and teaching is the ability of scholars and students to pursue lines of inquiry, and this in turn depends on a university remaining free from political interference.

“Further,” Young continued, “the recent actions at New College -- where a board selected to further an ideological agenda fired the president at its first meeting -- reflects the inclinations of a government that wants to exert greater and narrower ideological control over higher education; not one that respects open inquiry or academic freedom. This proposal and these actions deserve vehement and vigorous opposition from all who hold free speech on campus dear.”

Rosa Parks mugshot, Montgomery, AL, 12/01/1955

On a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on this date, in 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks had enough. On this date Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was already seated in the “colored” section of the bus, but the “whites” section was full. It was customary for Blacks to give up their seat for whites, but Mrs. Parks was not feeling compliant that day. She was not tired as she is frequently depicted in historical recounting of the incident, at least not physically. She was tired of the denigrating treatment of Black customers who used the public transportation system in Montgomery Alabama. She had enough.

Unbeknownst to many today, prior to Mrs. Parks’ arrest, Black women had already started organizing a protest through a group called the Women's Political Council or WPC. They started a couple of years earlier in 1953. In March 1955, a few months prior to the arrest of Rosa Parks, a teenager by the name of Claudette Colvin refuse to give up her seat. The people had enough.

The Montgomery bus boycott would last 381 days from December 5, 1955, through December 20, 1956. Two years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott began, Mrs. Parks and her husband, Raymond, lost their job jobs and received numerous death threats after her arrest. They later moved to Detroit, Michigan where he passed away in 1977 and she in 2005.

So, as you take a seat on a bus or an airplane, or even in a movie theater or restaurant, be mindful of the people who paved the way for you to casually move about in America. Also be sure to tell and retell American history.

New members of MDEAT Board of Trustees with Vice Chair. From left, Kametra Driver; Danny Felton, Sr.; Raymond Fundora; Steven Henriquez; X, Vice Chair Hannibal Burton; Kimberly T. Henderson; Andrea Forde; Patricia Jennings Braynon; and Rashad Thomas. Not Pictured: Basil A. Binns II and Christopher Norwood.

Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust (MDEAT), a county agency charged with ensuring that Black residents participate in Miami-Dade County's economic growth, recently welcomed ten new trustees to its Board. An agency of Miami-Dade County government, MDEAT is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners.

"I am feeling very positive about the future of the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust. We have gained tremendous momentum over that past year," said Hannibal Burton, vice chair of the MDEAT Board of Trustees. "I am extremely excited to accelerate that momentum and dig into areas we have only been able to talk about at this point. We are expanding the agency and transmitting a higher quality of service for our community."

"Since assuming the position as executive director, I've been committed to finding the best talent and resources to help stimulate the economic revitalization our community deserves," said MDEAT Executive Director William "Bill" Diggs. "I look forward to working with our new trustees and leveraging their resources and expertise to elevate Black participation in Miami-Dade County's economic growth."

Board membership is based on the availability of positions and expertise in one of the agency's core service areas of economic development; housing advocacy; youth services; and research and policy. Ten candidates rose to the top of the field. Each appointment is for a three-year term.

The Board welcomes Basil A. Binns II, Patricia Jennings Braynon, Kametra Driver, Danny Felton, Sr., Andrea Forde, Raymond Fundora, Kimberly T. Henderson, Steven Henriquez, Christopher Norwood, and Rashad D. Thomas. They join current trustees Erbi Blanco-True, Hannibal Burton, and Julio Piti.

"As a Miami native, I am excited about the opportunity to serve and impact Miami-Dade County. I appreciate the great work MDEAT is doing to create more Black homeowners and entrepreneurs," Rashad D. Thomas, MDEAT Board Member and Regional Director, AT&T.

The MDEAT Board meets monthly and leverages three action committees: Economic Development Action Committee, Housing Advocacy Committee, and Youth Action Committee. Meetings are open to the public and posted online.

“We have similar goals around expanding equity of outcome around Black homeownership and business ownership," Kimberly T. Henderson, president and CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida. "Those things are key to transforming our community and reducing the wealth divide between Blacks and other groups."

Amid the region's housing affordability crisis, several of MDEAT's board members are positioned to give the agency a competitive advantage to create effective advocacy and solutions for Miami-Dade County's most vulnerable residents.

"I am happy to serve and help our community receive its fair share of affordable housing opportunities," said Patricia Braynon, MDEAT trustee and retired director of the Housing Finance Authority of Miami-Dade County.

Following the riots that erupted in 1980 after white officers were acquitted for the death of Black businessman and former Marine Arthur McDuffie, the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County collaborated to create Metro-Miami Action Plan (MMAP) in 1983 as a solution to socioeconomic disparities in employment, economic development, education, housing, health and human services and criminal justice. In 1992, MMAP was further empowered by becoming a trust, and in September 2009 it was reorganized into MDEAT by ordinance 09-70.

Since its inception, MDEAT’s focus has been on addressing socioeconomic disparities within the Black community. MDEAT does so by focusing on the individual (i.e., youth and individual family member support), building neighborhoods through the expansion of homeownership, and supporting the foundation of strong Black businesses and economic development via job creation, entrepreneurship, business retention, and expansion. These three gears - family, neighborhood, and business - work together to connect the Black community to resources, funding, and programming that together create whole communities.

Log on to www.miamidade.gov/EconomicAdvocacyTrust, re for more information on MDEAT and critical community statistics and data.

Related Links:

Murdered: Arthur McDuffie and the 1980 Miami Riots
A Few Bad Apples

McDuffie: The Case Behind Miami’s Riots

Thirty-Year Retrospective: The Status of the Black Community in Miami-Dade County 

2013 Karen Moore Islands of Poverty in a Sea of Wealth