The 44 Percent: Sybrina Fulton, Amir Locke & reparations

I talked to Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin over the past month in preparation for the 10-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death. The conversations were great. I have so much respect for them both. Their resiliency in the face of tragedy is admirable.

Much of what we discussed will publish Sunday but, without getting into too much detail, I want to share one little piece. Anyone who has read this newsletter knows I tend to skew towards the pessimistic. I long ago accepted that I won’t see the day where America is truly equitable for Black people.

Somehow, Fulton and I got on the topic of my pessimism and as I tried to change the subject, she stopped me. What she said gave me a little bit of hope:

“I lost a child,” Fulton said. “My passion is much more severe, much more strong. My hope, my prayer, just everything I believe in is behind the young people. I don’t think my generation is going to make the changes we need to see. I honestly think it’s the young people because they are resilient and it’s a lot of things they won’t tolerate.”

INSIDE THE 305

South Florida high school football coaches hope Flores’ lawsuit brings ‘fairness’ to NFL:

I came into this story not knowing what to expect. Coaches are often fickle creatures (my high school football coach once called me “the worst football player in America”). Then I remembered that Black coaches are part of a fraternity with bonds that can’t be broken.

Also a special shoutout to our incredible investigative team, which found that white interviewees are three times more likely to land a NFL head coaching job over coaches of color.

Black chefs pushed Sobe food festival to diversify: ‘I didn’t see anyone who looked like me’:

You hear that...?

That’s the sound of a door being kicked down.

OUTSIDE THE 305

How states are fighting for reparations:

Every February, I will make it my duty to remind the world that Black Americans deserve reparations. California, New York and New Jersey, we see you.

Family, friends gather at funeral for Amir Locke:

The funeral for Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man killed by Minneapolis police executing a “no-knock” raid, was held Thursday. A few moments stood out:

▪ The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered an impassioned call to action in his homily. Recalling his discovery that his last name is the same as that of one of his ancestors’ enslavers, Sharpton said: “Our names are our title of ownership. That’s why it didn’t matter that Amir’s name wasn’t on the warrant. Because we don’t have a right to a name in the eyes of some in this country. We are nameless suspects.”

▪ Delivering a tribute, Locke’s aunt Linda Kay Tyler decried the notion of more training for police officers. “You cannot train somebody to be empathetic about Black and Brown lives,” she said. “It’s either in you, or it’s not.”

HIGH CULTURE

The rise and fall of UPN:

UPN had it all.

“Moesha.” “Girlfriends.” “The Parkers.”

Then, in seemingly a blink of an eye, it was gone. A new Hollywood Reporter article chronicles how.

This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 3:15 PM.

C. Isaiah Smalls II

Miami Herald

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C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.