44 percent: Children’s book on Little Haiti, reviving a long-gone Overtown nightclub

At the top of the month, I mentioned prioritizing Black joy. For me, that joy has been watching “Beyond the Gates,” the Black soap opera that airs on CBS at 2 p.m. EST. and streams on Paramount+.

It is everything we deserve in a Black soap, the first in more than 35 years: legacy Black talent with Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis serving as matriarch and patriarch of the Dupree family; a beautiful cast reminiscent of when Victoria Rowell, Shemar Moore, and the late Kristoff St. John graced our TV screens; and a riveting plot line (no spoilers). And trust me, this does not give beautiful gowns, but it does give wonderful wigs!

It has been such a wonderful experience being at the start of a soap opera and a Black one, no less. This has been one of many joyous moments for me, but I hope you all take a minute to watch it. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that the celebration of Blackness and Black history doesn’t begin or end with the month of February. For me, as I’m sure it is for a few of you, it’s a year round appreciation of who I am, where I’m from and the love of my people.

INSIDE THE 305:

‘That was our place’: Miami author teaches history of Little Haiti in children’s book

Born in Little Haiti, author Eunice Flowers was raised to appreciate her Blackness. It’s something she’s also worked to instill in her children. Flowers has created a book series that will do that while preserving the local Black history of Miami.

As I reported: Flowers decided to create Maya and Xavier’s Adventures, a book series that chronicles elementary school children as they visit historically significant sites in Miami’s Black history. The first book in the series, “Maya and Xavier’s Adventures in Little Haiti,” follow the children Maya and Xavier as they visit the Little Haiti Cultural Center and the The Toussaint L’Ouverture Monument.

Those two destinations are among the few remaining symbols of Little Haiti’s identity, which has undergone gentrification in recent years. “I want to preserve that,” she said. “The fact that that’s where we were made to belong, that was our place.”

The Trump administration is ending TPS for Haitians. Here’s what you need to know

More than half a million Haitians in the United States could be at risk of deportation after President Donald Trump’s administration revoked a Temporary Protected Status extension, Haiti Correspondent Jacqueline Charles reported. She has written a primer on TPS and what to do if this affects you.

OUTSIDE THE 305:

Trump administration answers invite of Caribbean Community leaders; visit being planned

Plans are in the work for the Trump administration to visit the Caribbean and its leaders, which follows a five-nation tour by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Jacqueline Charles reported:

Days after Caribbean leaders announced plans to invite President Donald Trump for a visit, his administration is taking them up on their offer — sort of. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose recent five-nation tour through the region included only one Caribbean country, the Dominican Republic, plans to visit the wider Caribbean region next month, said Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump’s special envoy to the Americas. “We’re going to go,” Claver-Carone, who will join the secretary on the visit, told the Miami Herald.

New jazz fellowship honors the genre’s elders and gives them an unrestricted $100,000 grant

Bertha Hope and several other elder jazz musicians are receiving a fellowship with grant funds to help them continue their work in the jazz space among other things. Hope’s husband Elmo Hope worked with Sarah Vaughan (pictured above) and Fort Lauderdale’s Cannonball Adderley. As the Associated Press reported: Though Bertha Hope, now 88, has toured extensively, recorded several albums and helped support the legacy of her late husband, the jazz pianist Elmo Hope, her talent still needs nurturing. And a new initiative dedicated to the preservation of jazz and the artists who helped build it plans to provide support for Hope and dozens of others.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Jazz Foundation of America on Tuesday announced the Jazz Legacies Fellowship — a new $15 million program that will give 50 artists who are 62 years or older a lifetime achievement award that includes a $100,000 unrestricted grant, professional support and performance opportunities.

HIGH CULTURE:

For one night, Miami can relive the heyday of Overtown’s famous Black hotel

The heyday of popular Overtown nightclub the Knight Beat inside the Sir John Hotel have faded into obscurity. But it was once a place where Black performers sang and danced after headlining in Miami Beach, where they could not stay because of their skin color. Tonight, an event at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center called A Night at The Sir John’s Knight Beat, will try to resurrect the energy of gone but not forgotten club, with live performances, dances and poetry.

Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.

Raisa Habersham

Miami Herald

Raisa Habersham is the race and culture reporter for the Miami Herald. She previously covered Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale for the Herald with a focus on housing and affordability. Habersham is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She joined the Herald in 2022.