Brilliance, creativity, and talent were on full display at Miami Carol City Senior High, on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, as District 1 School Board Member and School Board Vice Chair Dr. Steve Gallon III held his 4th Annual District 1 Black History Showcase. This year’s show entitled “D1 Chella” celebrated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) also known as the Divine Nine. Performances included dance,  step, chorus, spoken word, drama, jazz band, and  drumline.

The event master of ceremonies was District 1 and Andover Middle School’s 8th grader Ramaria St. Hilaire. Schools represented in this year's showcase included: Golden Glades Elementary, North Dade Center for Modern Languages, Parkview Elementary, Rainbow Park Elementary, Scott Lake Elementary, Norland Middle School, Carol City Middle School, North Miami Senior High, Miami Norland Senior High, Jan Mann Educational Center, and Miami Carol City Senior High. There was also a special performance by Ricky Danco, a Haitian American dance company.

Event partner was City of Miami Gardens Councilwoman Katrina Wilson. More than 500 were in attendance and included Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert, Councilman David Williams Jr., Councilman Reggie Leon, Trayvon Martin Foundation executive director Sybrina Fulton, North Region Superintendent Jose Bueno, UTD Vice President Antonio White, and North Region administrators and school staff.

A special visual presentation was featured reflecting on the past and highlighting the present status of HBCUs and the Divine Nine. The showcase received a long and resounding standing ovation and continuous praise by everyone as the audience exited the auditorium.

“Once again, our community has been able to serve witness to the artistic beauty and brilliance of our students, as well as the power that the arts plays in their education and empowerment,” said Dr. Gallon. “The night also provided an opportunity for us to reflect, recognize, and celebrate the educational journey of Blacks in higher education and the powerful role and influence that Black fraternities and sororities have played in binding us in power and purpose. The night’s performances also provided us with a challenge. How do we top this?”

To view highlights from the show, visit:

https://youtu.be/M9HVmXPlfDI. 

Miami Alliance of Black School Educators (MABSE) President Dr. Steve Gallon III cordially invites you to join the celebration as we salute our local legends, catalysts, and shining stars in education at the Legacy of Excellence in Education Awards 2020. These individuals serve as models of educational excellence in Miami-Dade County. Their service and professionalism reflect the core mission and values of MABSE.

All of this year’s honorees are current or retired educators in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system. They are Legends: School Board Member Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall; retired administrator Dr. George Koonce; retired administrator and current president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP Ms. Adora Obi Nweze. Catalysts: Central Region Superintendent Mr. John Pace; Human Resources administrator Mrs. Treska Rodgers; and retired administrator Mr. Lesly Prudent. Shining Stars are Norwood Elementary School principal Dr. Kevin Williams; Andover Middle School principal Mr. Kenneth Williams; and George Washington Carver Elementary School teacher and Central Region Teacher of the Year, Ms. Ashley Vangates.

The awards will be formally presented on Thursday, February 20, 2020, from 5:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. at NoMi Restaurant, 738 Northeast 125th Street, North Miami, FL 33161. Seating is limited. Purchase tickets at ExcellenceInEducation2020.eventbrite.com. There will be no onsite ticket sales. 

This MABSE Black History Month special event is presented with the generous support of Delta Dental and Rodriguez Piña & Associates. 

Direct questions about the event to Ms. Vanessa Byers at (305) 343-9088 or vanessawbyers@gmail.com. For more information on MABSE, visit www.MABSE.org.

We are less than two weeks away from the deadline to be registered to vote in Florida’s presidential preference primary in March. Former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives Stacey Abrams will be in Miami today for a Voter Protection Town Hall at Miami Dade College North Campus at 2 pm.

Florida is the election battleground for 2020. Voting rights are under blatant attack by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature. From ignoring the will of the people regarding Amendment 4 and the restoration of voting rights of four million Floridians to suppressing the youth vote on college campuses by establishing law making it difficult for colleges and universities to host early voting sites.

Stacey Abrams is coming to help kick off a series of Voter Protection events. Voter protection is all the more important when considering the razor-thin vote margins that determined several Florida  races.

RSVP here for Stacey Abrams' Voter Protection Town Hall  >>

Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) marked its return to Atlanta on Saturday, January 25, with dazzling performances by eight of the nation’s top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) marching bands and a special set by R&B singer-songwriter Tank. A crowd of more than 58,000 HBCU fans, students and alumni were on hand to witness the celebration of HBCU culture, musical talent and pageantry.

The 17th anniversary HBOB theme, “Be the Dream,” highlighted the power that dreams have to inspire a brighter future. The show opened with a soulful performance by all eight bands, as more than 2,400 musicians and dancers joined together on the field. Additional highlights included Florida A&M’s tribute to Atlanta, Tennessee State University reminding fans to vote, and welcoming the first female band director to conduct at HBOB, Dr. Nikole Roebuck of Grambling State University.

This year’s Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase participants included:

• Benedict College, The Marching Tiger Band of Distinction – second appearance
• Florida A&M University, Marching 100 – seventh appearance
• Grambling State University, Tiger Marching Band – second appearance
• Hampton University, The Marching Force – second appearance
• Jackson State University, Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band – ninth appearance
• North Carolina A&T State University, Blue & Gold Marching Machine – seventh appearance
• Prairie View A&M University, Marching Storm – ninth appearance
• Tennessee State University, Aristocrat of Bands – ninth appearance

Honda awarded $200,000 in grants to this year’s participating bands to help support their music education programs, and covered the bands’ travel and accommodation expenses for the event.

Recruitment Fair Encourages High School Students to Think about College
In addition to the marching band performances, Honda hosted an HBCU College Fair to connect high school students with representatives from over 50 HBCUs. Designed to go beyond just exposing young people to the opportunities offered by the institutions, the college fair enabled prospective students to meet with admissions recruiters and marching band representatives to discuss admissions requirements and scholarship opportunities. This year’s college fair hosted 6,500 attendees.

Honda’s Three-Decade Commitment to HBCUs 
Honda has been committed to supporting the success and dreams of the nation's HBCUs for 30 years. Through initiatives like Honda Battle of the Bands and Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, as well as financial support from the American Honda Foundation, Honda has been able to impact the lives of nearly 200,000 students and award over $12 million in grants in support of HBCU education programs and facilities improvements.

For more information on HBOB, visit www.hondabattleofthebands.com. Fans can also check out HBOB’s 17th anniversary journey with highlights from the Invitational Showcase on the official HBOB social media channels:

• Facebook – Facebook.com/HondaBattleoftheBands
• Twitter – @The_Honda / Twitter.com/The_Honda
• Instagram – @the_honda / Instagram.com/the_honda

Honda now ramps up for Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), a unique academic tournament for HBCU students that showcases and recognizes their academic talents. The 2020 National Championship Tournament will be held March 28-April 2, 2020. Visit www.hcasc.com for more details.