The 44 Percent: Florida’s new congressional map, CRT in math textbooks & racism
“I don’t know how many acts of racism one has to do to become a racist but let’s just say if this was a video game, he would be going for the high score.”
This quote has been on my mind ever since hearing it from former state Sen. Dwight Bullard Monday morning in Little Haiti. Bullard, who was one of the many community representatives present when Black lawmakers called Gov. Ron DeSantis’ controversial congressional map “racist,” was, of course, referring to the governor.
DeSantis got his wish: the Florida Senate did confirm the map Wednesday, effectively dismantling two of the five Black-led Districts. I know the word “racism” has been tossed around A LOT in the past two years so I wanted to take a brief opportunity to review its meaning, courtesy of Merriam-Webster. The definitions are as follows:
- belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
- the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another
a political or social system founded on racism and designed to execute its principles
You tell me if it applies.
INSIDE THE 305
Black lawmakers call out DeSantis’ “racist” actions in redrawn congressional map:
With the Florida Senate having passed the governor’s congressional map on Wednesday, let’s rewind to Monday when Black lawmakers gathered in Little Haiti to voice their concerns about it. As mentioned earlier, the map would likely add four Republican seats and eliminate two districts currently held by Black Democrats.
“We, as a community, have seen this written far too many times,“ said former state Sen. Dwight Bullard, who now serves as political director for New Florida Majority, “and guess what? We will not stand for it, we will not allow it.”
Speakers referred to DeSantis’ actions as “racist.” Bullard listed DeSantis’ previous pieces of legislation — from 2021’s “anti-riot” law, which a federal district judge blocked for being “vague and overbroad” as well as an attack on free speech, to the most recent “Stop WOKE Act,” which detractors say prevents the accurate teaching of Black history — as examples of the governor’s “acts of racism.” The congressional map was just the latest example, Bullard continued.
“I don’t know how many acts of racism one has to do to become a racist but let’s just say if this was a video game, he would be going for the high score,” said Bullard, who is a former high school history teacher.
During Thursday’s Florida House session, Democrats staged a sit-in to protest the congressional maps.
“Our demands are clear. The Legislature needs to draw maps,’’ Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, said. “The Republicans in leadership need to come to the Democratic leadership, and we’re going to draw some constitutional maps. Those are our demands and we will not be moved.”
Miami Northwestern baseball players energized by chance to play in Marlins’ ballpark:
Prior to the West taking on North Miami Beach at loanDepot Park for Jackie Robinson Day, the Miami Herald’s Walter Villa took readers inside Northwestern coach Darrell Pender’s mission to revive the school’s baseball team.
When he was hired at Northwestern in October of 2018, the program — which once helped produce an MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champ in Mickey Rivers — had been dormant for seven years.
The first thing Pender did after getting the Bulls job was to fix the field. Pender said he did the work by himself, and about 85 percent of the money needed to complete the job — including the purchase of a $3,500 John Deere tractor — came out of his pocket.
Since Pender took over, the Bulls have gone 23-22 — including a win over NMB earlier this week. The thrill of the win probably was in close competition with the customized Nike-Jackie Robinson cleats that the team received prior to Monday’s game.
OUTSIDE THE 305
Florida targets school math textbooks over critical race theory objections:
54 out of 132.
That’s how many math textbooks the Florida Department of Education rejected due to critical race theory and other objections. Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wrote that banning roughly 41% of the textbooks was part of his department’s mission to give kids a “world class education.”
“When it comes to education, other states continue to follow Florida’s lead as we continue to reinforce parents’ rights by focusing on providing their children with a world-class education without the fear of indoctrination or exposure to dangerous and divisive concepts in our classrooms,” Corcoran said in a statement on Friday.
MLB legend Dave Stewart wants to bring baseball to Nashville:
A Dave Stewart-led group is prepping to submit a $2 billion bid to bring an MLB expansion team to Nashville. This would be the first majority minority-led franchise in MLB history.
“The time has come for Black ownership in Major League Baseball,” Stewart, a three-time World Series champ and former All-Star, told ESPN.
Stewart plans to prioritize minority leaders to invest in the team that would be called the “Nashville Stars.” The expansion would “likely” come in the next three to five years, according to ESPN.
HIGH CULTURE
The rise and fall of Abercrombie & Fitch:
Remember when Abercrombie was synonymous with cool?
Well a funny thing happened along the way: people realized how exclusionary the brand truly was.
A new Netflix documentary entitled “White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie” charts the brand’s ascent and subsequent downfall. Through its exploration of race, pop culture and fashion, the piece is certainly worth your time.
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
