MIAMI \u2014 Community leaders, activists and residents on Thursday gathered for a town hall on the \u201cState of Black Miami,\u201d voicing frustration over political representation, hiring decisions and the impact of Florida\u2019s new anti-DEI law.<\/p>\n
Attendeees aired concerns about what they described as systemic inequities affecting Black residents across Miami-Dade County.<\/p>\n
Former state Sen. Dwight Bullard criticized elected officials and questioned the lack of advocacy for Black communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is our strategic intervention as Black Floridians and Black Miamians irrespective of party affiliation,\u201d Bullard said.<\/p>\n
Residents also expressed frustration over voter apathy and what some called defeatist attitudes within the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tell me there was no African-American that has qualified to become a city manager?\u201d Liberty City activist Sharon Frazier asked, criticizing recent hiring decisions for Miami\u2019s city manager and police chief positions.<\/p>\n
Speakers argued that qualified African Americans within local ranks were overlooked for those jobs.<\/p>\n
Pierre Rutledge, who heads Miami-Dade\u2019s Black Affairs Advisory Board, said leaders making hiring decisions \u201cneed to be fair and equitable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The town hall marked the board\u2019s last official meeting after Florida\u2019s new law targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs eliminated DEI standards affecting such boards and initiatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are elements of segregation that still exists within Miami-Dade County,\u201d said attorney Stephen H. Johnson. <\/p>\n
Johnson also pointed to what he described as institutional racism within Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, blaming it for the absence of Black cadets among the department\u2019s newest recruits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen there is no voice to raise those points that it is allowed to persist \u2014 people just believe it\u2019s natural,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is how things have always been, so this is how things will always be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attendees also raised concerns about Florida\u2019s congressional district maps, including District 20, which some speakers said pack Black voters into a single district while reshaping neighboring districts.<\/p>\n
The discussion included concerns that longtime U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz could potentially run in District 20 against Black Democratic candidates.<\/p>\n
Christopher Simmons, principal of Care Elementary School in Overtown, said representation matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we don\u2019t see representation for us, it is hurtful,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we have got to be the change as well. We have to put ourselves in that position.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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