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Recognizing Juneteenth
The declaration of Juneteenth as a national holiday, legitimizing the freedom of African people in America, is really an acknowledgement that members of the African-American community are full participants in American society.
That, to me, was a resounding and full acknowledgement of our status as emancipated people in America. And so, to see Miami Gardens on the forefront of putting on a nationally recognized Juneteenth event just leaves me speechless. It makes me feel so much more excited about all that we have been doing across the nation, fighting for equal rights and opportunities 一 all of that culminated with recognizing us as full participants in American society.
I co-sponsored and spearheaded the Juneteenth Park-in & Party event, and only had about four months to plan them. All of the artists were Miami Gardens residents, as were the vendors, so it was an opportunity for us to showcase our people. It was just wonderful. We had 2,500 people that showed up and over 1,000 cars that came out to Calder Race Course.
To the people of Miami Gardens: exercise every right that you have. Let nothing slide.
Whenever you’re supposed to vote, vote. Pay your taxes. Go to school. Take advantage of the free education and ensure that your children do as well. Hold on to your properties and leave an inheritance. Do all of the things that our ancestors were fighting for. I believe so strongly that we can’t let them down. They fought through a time when, just walking down the street, you could be lynched and hung 一 and they still made it. So my message to the community is to hold on to those values that were left behind by our ancestors. We have the right to be here and we still have a lot more work to do, not just for ourselves, but for our children and our grandchildren.
Looking Ahead
In the next quarter, we’ll host some back-to-school activities and initiatives. I’ll make sure that our teachers and our students have whatever they need to begin the school year. We’ll get the list that teachers give to children on the first day and make sure the items are already there. So even if a parent cannot afford it, their child is still properly equipped.
People have experienced a lot of loss throughout the pandemic and we really don’t know what to expect in terms of ongoing challenges mentally and emotionally. So one of our goals is to see where we are in our process of healing and what kind of support our constituents will need to get better.
On the first Monday of every month, I host “Meet Me Monday.” I meet with my constituents at Miami Carol City Senior High School and we have different speakers that come in to deal with various concerns. We bring in community resources as well. In September, I’m bringing the Veterans Administration out to speak about services offered to veterans and their families. Also, we’ll have the schools’ principals present to talk about expectations and preparations for back-to-school.
Additionally, I plan to have some workshops and community based discussions. Men and women need to have conversations about our relationships — how we talk to each other and how we conduct ourselves in front of our children. We want to elevate our profile, and establish standards for how we carry ourselves so we can be respected, not only by each other, but by the larger community. After all, we represent the City of Miami Gardens, the epicenter of Black culture in Miami-Dade County.
