The W.I.S.H. Foundation (Women Involved in Service to Humanity), Incorporated, in partnership with Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated presents the 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Virtual Youth Symposium on Sunday, January 16, 2022, from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm. This year’s theme is "Are we Social Distancing from the Dream?".
This event is free and open to students of all grade levels from elementary through senior high school. Organization mentoring groups, church youth auxiliary groups, parents and organization members are encouraged to attend. The deadline to register to attend this event is January 12, 2022. Please note that parents must register separately and join the Parent's Forum on event day via a separate device.
Dr. Martha Johnson-Rutledge is the president of the Gamma Zeta Omega Chapter. Islamiyat Nancy Adebisi Elus is the Chairman of the W.I.S.H. Foundation, Incorporated. This is the eleventh year the organizations have presented this community event. Click HERE to register.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee and staff clean up public areas in Florida City on Saturday, January 16, 2021, in tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on MLK Weekend.
South Dade community members keep Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 's dream alive through service and civic engagement. Led by Takevess Hatcher, community activist, Florida City residents rallied to participate in an area clean up project.
Traditionally, residents assemble to celebrate Dr. King at their annual Homestead-Florida City MLK Parade and Festival but due to the ongoing pandemic, the parade was canceled. In lieu of the traditional celebration, Hatcher coordinated a community clean up project to honor Dr. King's legacy through service and reflection.
Commissioner McGhee commended Hatcher for his work in the community, and for "providing this much needed service."
Participants were supplied personal protection equipment, cleaning supplies, and socially distanced to complete the project. Volunteers were coordinated into teams to clean up previously identified zones within the South Dade area.
Florida City is the southernmost municipality in the South Florida metropolitan area. Primarily a major agricultural area, this Miami suburb is affectionately regarded as the gateway to the Everglades and Florida Keys.
The Florida City Clean City Project sponsors included the Iota Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated; Miami-Dade County Commissioner - District 9, Kionne McGhee; Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace; Florida City Vice Mayor Sharon "Sheep" Butler; City of Homestead Vice Mayor Patricia Fairclough-Staggers; Florida City Police Department; Florida City Public Works; HTC Tax Services; Subway; Darren Baldwin; James Steward; and Dr. Kelli Hunter-Sheppard.
Takevess Hatcher, project leader, directs participants to their respective volunteer sites.
South Dade High School students give back to community through service on MLK Weekend.
Black Lions Homestead Motorcycle Club with Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace, Florida City Vice Mayor Sharon Butler and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee.
Clockwise, from top left, City of Opa-locka Mayor Matthew Pigatt; former Judge Shirlyon McWhorter swears in Vice Mayor Veronica Williams; former City of Opa-locka Mayor Dr. ML Taylor swears in son John Taylor Jr.; andCity of Opa-locka Commission, from left, Commissioner Chris Davis, Vice Mayor Veronica Williams, Mayor Matthew Pigatt, Commissioner Alvin Burke, and Commissioner John Taylor Jr.
(OPA-LOCKA, FL) — The City of Opa-locka hosted a Swearing-In Ceremony for the newly-elected Commission Members Vice Mayor Veronica Williams and Commissioner John Taylor Jr. on Thursday, November 19, at the Sherbondy Village Community Center.
City of Opa-locka Mayor Matthew Pigatt served as the Master of Ceremony which began with an invocation from Rev. Dr. Ranzer A. Thomas, Sr., Senior and Founding Pastor of New Generation Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Kay Williams-Dawson, Senior Pastor at Cathedral of Praise, introduced newly-elected Vice Mayor Williams. The Honorable Judge Shirlyon J. McWhorter, former Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge, swore in newly-elected Vice Mayor Williams.
Next, newly-elected Commissioner Taylor was introduced by his wife Monica Taylor. Dr. M.L. Taylor, former Mayor of the City of Opa-locka and her husband Bishop John Taylor then swore in their son, newly-elected Commissioner Taylor. Other program participants included: John E. Pate, City Manager; Commissioner Chris Davis; and Commissioner Alvin Burke.
“I believe that now more than ever we needed more leaders that will talk less, listen more, and work together for the community and the citizens that we were selected and elected to serve. So, time’s out for secret agendas, time’s out for cliques, time’s out for ununified behaviors. We were elected by the people to support the people,” said Commissioner Taylor. “Let me fight for you and be your advocate. To the 1,600 plus people that reside within the walls of the great City of Opa-locka, I stand here for you and because of you.”
“Service for people has always been at the forefront of everything I do. I follow the footsteps of many trailblazing African-American women in politics in Miami. To the many black and brown women stepping up to the plate to shape our communities and our country⎯⎯this is why I decided to be the change agent that I wanted to see in my community,” said Vice Mayor Williams. “I am ready to work with everyone to form a new vision to create a new and better reputation for the City of Opa-locka because I am Opa-locka!”
It's finally here! It's Election Day! From the presidential race to other races on the federal, state and local level, TODAY is our LAST DAY to voice our choices in this election cycle. Every election is important and every vote counts. This year is truly important as our country has definitely gone in the wrong direction over the last almost four years.
Please refer to our recommendations and make sure you vote for people who will represent you. Even if the candidate you support is not victorious, it's crucial to hold the people who are elected accountable. Check out an excerpt from The Bakari Sellers Podcast. It was a conversation between Sellers, Angela Rye and Andrew Gillum. A few choice adult words are used so consider yourself warned. The bottomline is we, as voters, have a responsibility to make sure our elected officials are representing us and not just themselves.
Some folks are apprehensive about the aftermath of the election if Trump loses. He has signaled to White nationalist organizations to be disruptive and violent so we need to be aware but not fearful. The polls will close at 7 p.m. tonight. Get out and vote. Our lives truly depend on it.
Perhaps the Black community in Miami is on the precipice of a political and cultural revolution. Perhaps this generation of millennials will usher in a resurgence of Black unity and Black power reminiscent of Miami’s past. On Sunday, November 1, 2020, the men of the Beta Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, executed a community caravan to bring awareness of the importance of the using the right to vote to effect change for our people and the community at large.
For this ambitious project, the fraternity partnered with Florida Memorial University, South Florida’s only HBCU. Before the fraternity members and their supporters set out on their journey, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included dignitaries from the university’s Board of Trustees.
As the attention-getting caravan, with full escort, rolled into the first of four stops, the early voting site at the Miramar Branch Library & Education Center, the energy was immediately apparent. The featured speaker at that location was the honorable Wayne Messam, mayor of the City of Miramar and member of the Beta Beta Lambda Chapter. The fraternity distributed t-shirts and bottled water to early voters waiting in line.
The excitement continued at the next stops, the early voting sites at the North Dade Regional Library in Miami Gardens and the North Miami Library. The caravan concluded at the Joseph Caleb Center early voting location, in the City of Miami, with messages from community leader and past chapter president, Pierre Rutledge and current chapter president Michael Grubbs.
More than 200 people in 70 vehicles participated in the caravan. At each of the stops, hundreds of voters and onlookers were educated on “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People,” a national program of Alpha Phi Alpha since the 1930’s when many African-Americans had the right to vote but were prevented from voting because of poll taxes, threats of reprisal, and lack of education about the voting process.
“Yesterday...I looked into the eyes of children and our seniors across South Florida and saw the impact of the Beta Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, "Alpha Train" Road to the Polls. It offered hope and meaning to a community struggling to believe in the Democratic process within our country. We endeavored to wake up South Florida and let our name, example and action(s) lead the way,” said Taj Echoles, chair of Beta Beta Lambda’s Alphas In Action Task Force, the civic engagement arm of the chapter.
About Beta Beta Lambda Chapter (adapted from Chapter's website):
Beta Beta Lambda Chapter has been an active part of the Greater Miami community since its inception on November 19, 1937. Like many chapters across the country, it was established by men with a common interest in improving the community through education and public service.
The chapter’s founding members are Felix E. Butler, MD, Nathaniel Colston, MD, Ira P. Davis, MD, Aaron Goodwin, MD, Frederick J. Johnson, Samuel H. Johnson, MD, Leo A Lucas, and William H. Murrell, MD. Under the leadership of Solomon C. Stinson, Ph.D., the chapter was incorporated in the State of Florida as a legal entity on November 30, 1978. Under the leadership of Earl H. Duval Ph. D., the Beta Beta Lambda/Alpha Foundation was created and incorporated on September 25, 1995.
Beta Beta Lambda Chapter and its subsidiaries are providing leadership through its many service activities such as Alpha Outreach, Project Alpha, Alpha-Dade Youth Sports Program, Alpha/Big Brothers & Big Sisters Partnership, Sankofa Project, Knights of Gold, Boy Scouts Troop 1906, Alpha/Head Start Partnership, Voter Education Project, and Scholarship Award Program.
Miami, FL — This year’s November general election ballot includes six questions proposed to amend Florida’s constitution. The Miami-Biscayne Bay (FL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, wants to make sure the community is informed when ballots are cast on these important issues. In partnership with the Miami-Dade and South Dade Branches of the NAACP and the Miami-Dade National Pan-Hellenic Council, The Links will present a virtual issues forum, “WE THE PEOPLE: Get the FACTS Before Voting on Florida’s Constitutional Amendments!” The forum is scheduled for 6:30 PM-7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, October 14, 2020 and will be broadcast on Facebook Live and Zoom.
The program will be moderated by Bobby Henry Sr., publisher of The Westside Gazette, Broward County, Florida’s oldest and largest African American owned and operated newspaper.
Joining Henry for a spirited discussion and deep dive into the amendments are:
Yolanda Cash Jackson, Shareholder, Becker & Poliakoff, and member of the Greater Miami (FL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated;
Donald Jones, Professor, University of Miami School of Law; and
JoLinda L. Herring, Shareholder, Bryant Olive Miller, and member of Miami-Biscayne Bay (FL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
“Voting is one of our most important responsibilities as American citizens, we should be sure we are informed when we exercise that right,” said Miami-Biscayne Bay Chapter President Georgia H. McLean. “The goals of this forum are to make sure we have dissected each proposed amendment and that each attendee logs off informed and ready to vote.”
The forum is scheduled for 6:30 PM-7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, October 14, 2020 and will be broadcast on Facebook Live and Zoom. Click here to register in advance. Submit questions, in advance, to [email protected]
CHICAGO, Sept. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® isproud to announce that for the third consecutive year, the sorority has successfully raised $1 million in 24 hours for the benefit of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The sorority's annual HBCU Impact Day on September 21 exceeded its $1 million goal in online donations alone from local AKA chapters, private donors and corporate matching dollars from across the globe.
"We did it, we did it again!" Dr. Glenda Glover, AKA International President and Chief Executive Officer shared with excitement in a video message to sorority members. "The online receipts alone totaled more than $1.3 million. We can now continue to provide endowments to our treasured HBCUs."
HBCU Impact Day is one part of a four-year $10 million fundraising goal set by Dr. Glover, who has challenged the women of AKA to lead the charge in helping to secure fiscal sustainability and success for accredited HBCUs around the country. The sorority was successfully able to reach the $1 million goal consecutively in 2018 and 2019, supporting the organization's HBCU for Life: A Call to Action platform, which aims to promote HBCUs by encouraging students to attend and matriculate through these institutions.
Last year, AKA gifted $1.6 million to the first 32 of 96 HBCUs through the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund. Each HBCU received $50,000 in unrestricted endowment funds as part of a phased approach to help schools reduce student debt through scholarships, fund industry-specific research, recruit and retain top faculty, and other critical operations especially during this global pandemic.
On Sunday, September 20, the sorority held a virtual brunch to launch the next round of 32 HBCU endowment recipients. Four more recipients were announced: Delaware State University, Lane College, St. Phillips College, and Medgar Evers College. Four additional grants will be announced on Friday, September 24, the last day of HBCU Week. The sorority will then announce 24 more recipients -- six schools every Thursday for the next four weeks.
"These institutions continue to make a powerful impact in our communities and throughout our country, graduating 22% of all African Americans with bachelor's degrees, nearly 80% of all African-American judges and 50% of all black lawyers," said Dr. Glover, who is also the president of Tennessee State University and an HBCU graduate. "It's gratifying to know that funds raised will establish endowments, providing sustainability to our historically black colleges and universities."
Dr. Glover thanks everyone who contributed to the success of the 2020 HBCU Impact Day and notes that the $1.3 million raised online does not include checks in the mail and other contributions. Although HBCU Impact Day has passed, individuals or organizations interested in supporting the effort can still make contributions by texting AKAHBCU to 44321, giving by mail or online at http://aka1908.com/hbcus/donate-hbcu.
For more information on the sorority's commitment to HBCUs, visit www.AKA1908.com.
Miami, Florida – Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) achieved gold status as a “Health Center Quality Leader,” a prestigious national award given by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). CHI received this award in recognition of ranking among the top 10% of health centers for best overall clinical performance.
“This award shows that we are making progress in reducing health disparities,” said Brodes H. Hartley Jr., President/CEO at CHI. “Our team managed to exceed national quality benchmarks and achieved top tier results providing greater access to high-quality care and we continue to address critical issues such as improvements in cancer reduction and the increasing need for behavioral health services in our community.”
HRSA awarded CHI based on a comparison of CHI’s clinical quality measures to more than 1,400 other health centers throughout the United States.
HRSA recognized CHI as one of the highest performing health centers nationwide linked to significant quality improvements from the previous years. CHI increased access to comprehensive care and made strides in pediatric immunizations, cervical cancer screening and coronary artery disease prevention.
Since 1971, CHI has been a beacon of hope providing access to high quality healthcare for all regardless of insurance status, income level or background. The non-profit federally qualified health center offers comprehensive healthcare services including primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, dental, urgent care, behavioral health, vision, radiology, pharmacy, transportation and more. CHI has 11 health centers and 35 school-based sites. CHI is a recipient of the Florida Governor’s Sterling Award. It is accredited by the Joint Commission and is also designated as a patient centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. CHI is also designated as a behavioral health medical home. In addition, CHI is home to the Brodes H. Hartley Jr., Teaching Health Center, providing residency training for the next generation of doctors in the specialties of Family medicine and Psychiatry. CHI recently broke ground on the first Children’s Crisis Center in southern Miami-Dade County this month. It will service kids with severe behavioral health problems from Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties.
Winfrey To Discuss Her New Initiative “OWN Your Vote” with NAACP President and CEO and Other Key Leaders in the Fight for Voting Rights, Focused Specifically on Mobilizing Black Women to Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 22, 2020) – Oprah Winfrey and OWN have joined together with the NAACP and national voting rights leaders to host “OWN Your Vote: Our Lives Depend On it,” a virtual conversation aimed to inspire and equip thousands of voters and community leaders with specific steps they can take to register to vote, request their absentee ballots, and mobilize voters throughout their community. Slated to take place on September 24, 2020, at 8:00 PM EST, the hour-long conversation will include remarks from leaders in the fight for voting rights, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Stacey Abrams (Fair Fight), Minyon Moore (Power Rising), Tiffany Dena Loftin (NAACP Youth and College), Judith Browne Dianis, and other key leaders. Join this conversation by visiting bit.ly/OprahZoom and registering today!
“We are excited to work with OWN, Ms. Winfrey and other key voting rights leaders as we engage our members, activists, and community leaders around the country about the importance of this election and their vote,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP. “Her voice during this critical time when communities not only need reassurance in their ability to affect change but encouragement and enlightenment on how to do so with clear impact cannot be overstated.”
As the nation reels from the effects of COVID-19, racial injustice, and voter suppression, OWN Your Vote seeks to shed light on the solution through a bipartisan registration and a get-out-the-vote campaign aimed at providing OWN’s audience of Black women with tools and resources to overcome voter suppression in the November election. The pro-social campaign connects people to urgent political actions and gives their concerns a powerful microphone by placing a spotlight on crucial community issues.
“OWN is proud to partner with the NAACP and prominent voting rights leaders to hold this important conversation to energize and engage our community to vote this November,” said Tina Perry, president of OWN. “This is a critical time in our history to come together and raise our voices.”
Along with shedding light on why this moment is paramount for Black women to use their voice, Ms. Winfrey will also moderate a panel discussion that will bring attention to barriers to voting, what everyone should know about this election, and how they can overcome voter suppression in their community.
The OWN Your Vote campaign has been informed by a study OWN conducted with over 700 Black women of voting age to identify critical issues affecting them. The political impact tracking study determined that affordable health care and racism/discrimination are the two most relevant issues to Black women this election season.
OWN Your Vote Partner Organizations include:
Advancement Project National Office
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
AME Church Social Action Commission
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
Fair Fight Action
Higher Heights Leadership Fund
Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights
The Kapor Center
The King Center (Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc.)
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Links, Incorporated
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
The Southern Area of The Links, Incorporated presents the second in a series of Surviving, Thriving and Mobilizing and the New South Virtual Town Hall Meetings! On Thursday, September 24th at 9 PM EST, witness "Politics, Faith & Media: Harnessing the Collective Power of When We All Vote." Joining the one hour 15 minute discussion will be one of the most powerful men in politics, House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, renowned activist and faith leader, Bishop William Barber and journalist/talk show host Roland Martin. The meeting will be shown live via Facebook telecast, on the Southern Area Website (www.salinksinc.org) and via Youtube.
A Sunshine Meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m., tomorrow, Monday, September 14, 2020 regarding the renaming of the Miami International Airport. The meeting is between Commissioners Esteban Bovo, Vice-Chairwoman Rebecca Sosa and Chairwoman Audrey Edmonson. We don’t know any additional details. There was a previous attempt in 2018 by Commissioner Jean Monestime to rename the airport after Former City of Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre. Commissioner Sosa objected; the airport is located in her commission district.
Meeting details are in the notice below.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE IS GIVEN that a Sunshine Meeting between the Honorable Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo, Jr., Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 13; the Honorable Audrey M. Edmonson, Chairwoman, Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, District 3; and the Honorable Rebeca Sosa, Vice-Chairwoman, Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, District 6, is scheduled for Monday, September 14, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., to discuss Miami International Airport Renaming. This meeting will only be held virtually utilizing communications media technology made permissible pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Orders.
(2) Call into the live meeting by phone to speak, if permissible, or listen to the meeting by dialing in at: US Toll-free 877-853- 5247 or 888-788-0099 and using Meeting ID: 992 5401 6580; to avoid delays you may register in advance at https://miamidade.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4iY3NPRdTdyoXP8D3YmawA
(3) if you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may join the meeting using Florida Relay Service by dialing 711 on your telephone.
Miami-Dade County provides equal access and equal opportunity in its programs, services and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of disability. To request materials in accessible format, a sign language interpreter, Communication Access Real-time Translation services, and/or any other accommodation to participate in any County meeting, please contact Lenna Borjes, (305) 375-5380, [email protected] at least three days in advance of the meeting to initiate your request. TTY users may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).
If you have any questions or require additional information regarding the virtual meeting, please contact Lenna Borjes at the Office of Commissioner Esteban Bovo, Jr. (DIST. 13) at (305) 375- 5380 or send an email to: [email protected]. (Due to COVID -19, staff is currently working remotely, but will respond within a reasonable period of time to messages which have been received).