The 44 Percent: Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Sha’Carri Richardson, and MLB Draft
What’s a Black name?
A Twitter friend asked (in jest, I’m sure) if she had a Black name and she was met with an onslaught of responses from “Is an elephant heavy?” to “I’m going to hold your hand when I say this…” and an appropriate gif attached.
The question came after CNN reported that Dwight Jackson, a 27-year-old man, was repeatedly denied a job at a “luxury” Detroit hotel until he changed his name to “John Jebrowski” on his resume.
He’s now suing the hotel – as he should.
Having a “Black name” isn’t a bad thing. Growing up, I was proud to hear a Black name in my classrooms: Tanesha, Keisha, Shaniqua, and so forth. It’s a point of pride in that you are uniquely you and come from a culture that loves a little razzle dazzle on a name.
And yet, people have made having a Black name another thing that makes it harder for us to simply exist.
INSIDE THE 305:
‘Blatant neglect.’ Community speaks out after Little Haiti Cultural Complex director resigns
Director for the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Qunyatta Warren resigned from his post, sparking criticism from the community about how the city of Miami is managing the institution.
Miami Herald reporter Isaiah Smalls writes: About 100 Miami residents gathered Tuesday at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex to express their displeasure over the institution’s direction.
The meeting, which the Little Haiti Revitalization Trust had already scheduled, comes the day after LHCC director Qunyatta Warren submitted his resignation due to “systemic” issues.
“I’ve had the hard, painstaking opportunity to try to become a vendor and create new programming here over the last year so that opened my eyes to a lot of the issues at the Little Haiti Cultural Center,” community member Shayna Johnson said. “But I want to be clear that it was not because of the management or the staff here. I want to be clear that it is because of the city of Miami’s management of the Little Haiti Cultural Center.”
South Florida player is one of most intriguing MLB Draft prospects ever
The Major League Baseball Draft takes place July 14-16 in Fort Worth Texas and South Florida is expected to have a nice showing, particularly with Jurrangelo Cijntje who is slated to be a first round pick.
As reported by Walter Villa: He’s one of the most intriguing prospects in baseball history – and his amateur career could officially end this Sunday. Jurrangelo Cijntje, who played for a now-defunct Miami high school (Champagnat Catholic) before becoming a star at Mississippi State, is a switch- pitcher who speaks four languages and can also switch-hit if needed.
On Sunday, he is expected to become a first-round pick as the MLB Draft begins its three-day run.
OUTSIDE THE 305:
Black women are squarely behind the Biden-Harris ticket
There has been much reporting about President Joe Biden’s ability to run the country following a bad debate performance. However, few have centered Black voices and what they think about the calls to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket. For news nonprofit, The19th, editor-at-large and reporter Errin Haines spoke with Black women at Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans last weekend about where they stood. The full piece can be read here.
American runner Sha’Carri Richardson is on the digital cover of Vogue ahead of the Olympics this summer. The proud Texan spoke about what’s on her mind when she’s sprinting down the track and why she runs: “Every time I step onto the track, I think of all those moments when I was younger—all those feelings are still with me, I’m just that little girl grown up,” Richardson explains. “It’s almost like a flashback journey, everything that brought me to that point. All the grind, all the sacrifice. And there’s a feeling of, this moment is special because all of that, the good, the bad, it’s brought me here. And I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
HIGH CULTURE:
It’s been a little more than a week, but I’m still vibing to Lucky Daye’s Algorithm. The third studio album from the R&B crooner has some surprise collaborations and takes bold sonic risks. It’s worth the listen.
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
