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Engaging Safely
Last quarter, we began moving out of the pandemic crisis mode. In Seat 3, I hosted a Senior Prom and had about 250 seniors in attendance. It’s important that we engage our elderly residents. It’s a passion that my husband and I have. We’ve been hosting the Senior Prom for six years, and this year it was at the new Bunche Park Recreation Center. It was essentially the first major event held after reopening Bunche Park. We followed all the safety protocols to ensure the safety of everyone, including the vendors who were present. I’m so excited about engaging with our residents again.
Even though things are opening up again, residents should still be extremely careful and just utilize whatever best practices they have for their families. There is a new strain of the COVID-19 virus called the Delta variant, so although people need to get up and get out of the house 一 we need fresh air, we need to engage 一 at the same time, we need to be very careful.
Accomplishments
On Saturday, July 12, I hosted a Goombay Festival celebrating 48 years of independence for The Bahamas. I am the first Bahamian-American immigrant elected in the City of Miami Gardens, and I believe that in the 18 years of our City’s history, this has really been the first event focused on the contributions of Bahamian-Americans to Miami Gardens. There would be no Miami without Bahamian-Americans. The Bahamian Consul General, the Honorable Linda Mackey, was at the festival, and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson presented us with a congressional proclamation recognizing the contributions of Bahamian-Americans. She is also of Bahamian descent. That event was also hosted at the Bunche Park Recreation Center, which is in my district.
We had an amazing turnout. There were people who came from The Bahamas, and a news crew came over to cover the event. I’m really elated about what this means for culture in Miami Gardens, which is about 45 percent Caribbean.
This June, I sponsored a summer youth camp, in conjunction with Mahogany Youth Corporation, where students were able to enjoy swimming lessons at the Bunche Park pools. I’m also working closely with a student for the Miami Gardens Summer Youth Internship Program.
Looking Ahead
Beginning in August, I will be kicking off a special needs initiative at Brentwood Park, which is perhaps one of the only parks in Miami Gardens that is focused on sensory learning for students with special needs.
Also, in August, I will launch my new mentorship initiative called “A Seat at the Table with Councilwoman Ighodaro,” which is geared towards working with younger women, particularly millennials. I want to engage those women to help them understand the dynamics of how they function in the post pandemic era, and how they function as wives, mothers and business owners. A lot of them are entrepreneurs in the making and they don’t even know it. I will open this up, not just to women in Seat 3, but to women throughout the City of Miami Gardens. I believe that if one of us is at the table, we have a duty to bring in other women.
As the City continues to move pass the pandemic, there will be initiatives to celebrate Pink Month and recognize our veterans. People want to get out and about, and our seniors especially want to go back to church. For some, that is their recreation. So we’re excited to be moving in a positive direction.
