Author: Carma Henry

     The Kiwanis Club of Lauderdale Lakes, one of South Florida’s most active community service organizations, recently presented $20,000 in college scholarships to 19 local high school seniors.      “Being able to help students fulfill their dream of attending college is an incredible experience,” said Nathalee Gordon, president of the club. “When we assist the future leaders of tomorrow attend college, it is an investment in the future of the Ft. Lauderdale community.”

Florida A&M University (FAMU) has appointed Simone Marstiller, J.D., as dean of FAMU College of Law, effective July 1, 2026.

     Barbara Williamson learned about Juneteenth from her grandfather who told her about the holiday’s history when she was a little girl living in Boca Raton. Since then, Williamson, 85, has celebrated the holiday instead of Fourth of July, often holding a barbecue with red Kool-Aid and spending time reflecting on Black history.

Gwen Graham was in a familiar place on June 7th. She attended the church service at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, a place of fellowship steeped in the civil rights movement launched in the 1950’s. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Reverends Ralph Abernathy, Jessie Jackson, and Al Sharpton are just a few of the civil rights icons who mobilized Black Floridians from the Bethel pulpit. The revival has begun again with the extraordinary rollback of hard-fought equal rights gains by Governor Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump.

     Two former Miami-Dade County Commissioners are endorsing state Sen. Shevrin Jones in the Democratic Primary for Florida’s 24th Congressional District — a notable move, as they preceded one of Jones’ rivals on the Commission.

     “We went to — I’ll call her the matriarch of our South Florida community when it comes down to phenomenal heroine Black actresses — and that was Toddra Brunson,” Pride said. “We went to Toddra, and we said, ‘Toddra, you know, you’ve been such a tremendous collaborator with us, we want to do something for you. What is the role that you’ve always wanted to play? What show do you want to do?’ And she said, ‘I want to play Shug Avery in ‘The Color Purple,’’ and we were like, ‘Done!’

   This past April, The Miami Times reported worsening health outcomes for Black communities as two Florida health plans near their end. With both plans experiencing setbacks due to structural, political and funding challenges, research on the community level has become increasingly important.

         U.S. health officials warn that emergency room visits for tick bites are higher than normal in many parts of the country, putting a renewed focus on tick-borne diseases, including one that can cause a red meat and dairy allergy.  

       Growing up in our home, the belt represented more than discipline. It represented direction. It represented correction. It represented accountability. It represented love wrapped in responsibility. My father never used it to destroy us; he used it to keep us from destroying ourselves.

       As deaths from suicide, overdoses, and alcohol abuse rise among Black Americans, experts warn that cultural expectations around masculinity, mistrust of mental health systems, and a shortage of Black providers are preventing many men from getting help before it is too late.