The 44 Percent: a new reporter, Brittney Griner and Florida voting laws
For this week’s edition to the 44 Percent, I wanted to allow our new accountability reporter Raisa Habersham to introduce herself. Without further ado, Raisa take it away:
I grew up in Atlanta and for nearly two years, Savannah – with several trips to Brunswick, Georgia – was home.
And now, I’m making the trek to Miami. I am not sure why I keep barreling down the East Coast, but I do know that I love to tell good, authentic stories that center people. It’s the core of why I became a journalist.
Telling stories that affect historically ignored communities led me to write about rent control and social justice efforts among other government issues in Atlanta. It also led me to write about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia at the Savannah Morning News.
It is my hope that I will do the same as I cover north Miami-Dade County with an emphasis on housing and affordability issues.
My journalism journey began when I was 17, working at VOX Teen Communications (now called VOX ATL) as a writing intern in the heart of downtown Atlanta. It’s where I learned journalism basics and would write 1,000-plus word features.
Those skills would guide me while I was a young reporter at the University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!) working for many publications, including then-daily student newspaper The Red & Black. They would also guide me when I interned and later worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and at the Savannah Morning News. They will also guide me during my time at The Miami Herald.
Apart from journalism, I hope to get back into kickboxing and am an avid 90s Black television sitcom watcher (although Frasier has managed to slip through the cracks). Oh, and you may see me tweet about The Bachelor or The Bachelorette from time to time.
If you have any tips you would like to send my way, please do not hesitate to reach me at rhabersham@miamiherald.com.
INSIDE THE 305
Black leaders urge Miami Mayor Suarez to veto takeover of Virginia Key Beach board:
The latest news from the fight for control over the Virginia Key Beach board involves prominent Black Miamians urging Mayor Francis Suarez to reject the city’s takeover of the beach.
Fourteen business leaders, activists and clergy signed a letter to Suarez on Monday requesting a veto of the City Commission’s vote to name itself the new board for the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust. Commissioners had criticized the trust’s management and said it has taken too long for the agency to develop a civil rights museum in the park, a facility that has been discussed for more than 15 years.
Signees of the letter included Teri Williams, president of OneUnited Bank, Woodwater Investments CEO Barron Channer, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce CEO Eric Knowles, Ruban Roberts, immediate past president of the Miami-Dade NAACP and Rev. Dr. R. Joaquin Willis of the Church of the Open Door, United Church of Christ.
Planning to vote in Miami-Dade, Broward and the Keys? How to cast your ballot early:
Early voting in Miami-Dade starts next week so here’s a rundown of
Miami-Dade early voting: Oct. 24 - Nov. 6. (Hours of operation: Sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Broward early voting: Oct. 24 - Nov. 6. (Hours of operation: Sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Monroe early voting: Oct. 24 - Nov. 5. (Hours of operation: Sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
OUTSIDE THE 305
Tuesday was Brittney Griner’s birthday:
Just a reminder that Brittney Griner spent her 32nd birthday inside a Russian prison. Today marks day 245 of her behind bars.
‘What is wrong with this state?’ Video shows stunned Floridians arrested for voting:
A total of 19 formerly incarcerated individuals were arrested on charges of voter fraud earlier this week, something activists say points to Florida’s “broken” voting system. Of the 19 arrested, at least 13 were Black. Lawrence Mower has more:
They are accused of violating a state law that doesn’t allow people convicted of murder or felony sex offenses to automatically be able to vote after they complete their sentence. A 2018 state constitutional amendment that restored the right to vote to many felons excluded this group.
But, as the videos further support, the amendment and subsequent actions by state lawmakers caused mass confusion about who was eligible, and the state’s voter registration forms offer no clarity. They only require a potential voter to swear, under penalty of perjury, that they’re not a felon, or if they are, that their rights have been restored. The forms do not clarify that those with murder convictions don’t get automatic restoration of their rights.
HIGH CULTURE
Pusha T, IDK shut down Miami stage:
Sunday night’s Pusha T concert ended with a rather confident declaration:
“Rap album of the year. Easy. See you at the Grammys,” said the white-out Pusha T as he sauntered off stage at The Oasis in Wynwood.
The youthful always rule music and hip-hop is no different. Pusha T, however, occupies a rather liminal space in that his career spans back into the early 2000s yet it took 2022 to score him his first No. 1 album in “It’s Almost Dry.”
It isn’t until Pusha T performed bangers spanning across decades - “Grindin’” (2002), “Runaway” (2010), “Mercy” (2012), “If You Know You Know” (2018) and “Scrape It Off” (2022) - that you realize the Virginia Beaxh-raised rapper has been an integral part of hip-hop for quite some time. And while his luxury coke raps might not be everyone’s favorite sub-genre, it does seem about time for some kind of acknowledgment. Ask Pusha T himself and it would seem long overdue:
“Bro, this is art—this is how I paint,” he said recently during an interview in a Manhattan sushi restaurant, a day after performing “Diet Coke” and other coke-rap hits at a hip-hop festival. “I want to use these colors—this subject matter,” the Virginia rapper said. “I don’t know why it’s so hard to understand.”
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 October 20, 2022 at 3:42 PM.
