The 44 Percent: Haitian Heritage Month, ‘unconstitutional’ congressional map & Young Thug
When Fayola Nicaisse arrived in America as a kid, she was surprised at what she learned in her history class. The lessons, she recalled, were selective, something she believed had dire consequences.
“What’s the outcome of selective education? I think we’re living it,” said Nicaisse, an entrepreneur. “It creates racism, it creates inferiority, it creates a sense of not knowing self, not being proud of self.”
Such was not the case in her home country of Haiti, where Nicaisse remembered learning a more complete version of history. In turn, she exuded so much Haitian pride that many of her American classmates believed her to be arrogant.
“It’s not that I think I’m better than you,” said Nicaisse. “I learned a different history than you. I don’t think I have limits.”
As we continue to celebrate Haitian Heritage Month, Nicaisse’s limitless attitude should be the standard for all kids. That might sound difficult amid Florida’s attempts to restrict race-related history lessons yet, as Nicaisse says, this country’s future depends on it.
“If we’re going to have an equal America, it has to be shared equally,” Nicaisse added, referring to education. “The white children need to learn about Black history the same way that the Black students learn about white history. It cannot be so controlled and structured in a way that one grows up feeling like they never had contributed to anything when the others feel like they can achieve everything.”
INSIDE THE 305
New Tenant’s Bill of Rights protects renters. Watch as Miami-Dade mayor celebrates it:
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava held a ceremony for the county’s Tenant Bill of Rights Wednesday. The legislation will provide protections to renters in one of the least affordable housing markets in the country. Below is a brief explanation of what tenants can now do:
Pay for neglected repairs on their rentals out of rent payments, provided notice is given to a landlord to address the issue and at least two estimates are obtained for the work.
Apply for a rental without having to disclose past evictions. While landlords can still research eviction history, they can’t ask about prior evictions in rental applications.
Expect notification about a new landlord. Landlords are required to notify a tenant about a rental’s change of ownership once the sale closes.
As Miami Grand Prix begins, Miami Gardens residents still split on race and noise:
From the outside looking in, the Miami Grand Prix was a grandiose spectacle attended by many from the celebrity world. But the feeling on the ground was a lot different for Miami Gardens residents who worried about traffic and loud noise.
I went out to Miami Gardens on Friday as practice began and talked with Janice Marshall, who lives less than a mile from Hard Rock Stadium, the site of the race. During the first round of practices in the early afternoon, everything was fine.
“I hear more from the turnpike highway where people are doing Formula One-like racing with their own cars,” Marshall quipped. “If it stays like this, it’s not going to be as much of a headache.”
By 6 p.m., however, something had changed.
“The noise level has definitely increased,” Marshall said in a text. “I give it a 1-2 when you were here. Now a 6.”
Only time will tell whether the noise was as bad as residents believed it would be. Court case after court case has fallen flat. Most recently, a judge ruled that locals can use noise measurement devices to test the sound to better inform their arguments in any future actions.
OUTSIDE THE 305
Judge throws out DeSantis congressional map, orders new map drawn by expert:
A Lee County Circuit Court judge threw out the Gov. Ron DeSantis-drawn congressional map Wednesday, declaring it unconstitutional and ordering a new one to be drawn by a Harvard expert.
The lawsuit, filed by voting-rights groups and individual plaintiffs April 22, alleged the map violated the Fair Districts Amendment of the Florida Constitution, a measure designed to prevent gerrymandering when drawing congressional district boundaries. Judge Layne Smith sided with plaintiffs, saying that the new map “diminishes the African Americans’ ability to select the representative of their choice.”
Under DeSantis’ proposed map, two Black-led districts, Congressional Districts 5 and 10, would be disassembled. This would have reduced the number of Black-led districts from five to three.
“I do find persuasive the arguments that were made about the diminishment of African American votes,” Smith said. “...The district that has since been enacted and signed into law by the governor does disperse 367,000 African American votes between four different districts.”
The ruling prevents the splitting of Congressional District 5, a collection of northern Black communities that stretches from Gadsden County, west of Tallahassee, to Jacksonville. DeSantis, who has previously called the district an “illegal gerrymander” despite the Florida Supreme Court’s 2015 decision creating the area, will likely appeal the ruling, according to governor spokesperson Taryn Fenske.
Young Thug, Gunna facing gang-related charges:
Prominent Atlanta rappers Young Thug and Gunna have been booked on gang-related charges.
Born Jeffery Williams, Young Thug is specifically charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, participation in criminal street gang activity, marijuana possession with intent to distribute, controlled substance possession with intent to distribute, weapons possession and several additional gang-related counts. Gunna, birth name Sergio Kitchens, also is charged with conspiring to violate RICO.
The indictment accused the two, along with 26 other individuals, of being part of a criminal street gang known as Young Slime Life, an affiliate of the Bloods gang, that officials said Young Thug founded in 2012. In total, 56 charges were filed against the 28 members of the alleged gang, ranging from murder and aggravated assault to theft and armed robbery. As of this writing, Young Thug and Gunna, both of whom maintain their innocence, have been denied bond.
HIGH CULTURE
Want to know more about Notorious B.I.G.? ESPN’s Justin Tinsley’s new book has you covered:
One of my favorite writers in Justin Tinsley released his new Biggie Smalls biography “It Was All a Dream: Biggie and the World that Made Him” on Tuesday. The book not only explores the life of the Notorious B.I.G. but contextualizes it through detailing the external circumstances at the time, including the Reagan-era disinvestment in social services, the war on drugs and mass incarceration.
The above link is an excerpt on Andscape from “It Was All a Dream” and details the story behind Biggie’s hit single “One More Chance.”
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 3:15 AM.
