Local News

The Unbreakable Spirit of John Horse: A Hero of the Seminole Wars

John Horse’s journey began in the early 19th century when he was born into the bonds of slavery. Little did he know that the circumstances of his birth would not define the course of his life. He was of African descent but came to be associated with the Seminole people, a Native American tribe in Florida. These were tumultuous times in the United States as the nation grappled with the issue of slavery. […]

Local News

Heather Smithson: Book Restrictions Escambia County to South Florida should concern us all.

     The book restrictions happening across Florida aren’t just an attack on our students’ educational experience — they are an assault on parental autonomy in the classroom. As parents, it’s our duty to support and guide our children through their educational journey. We push them to learn as much as they can within the parameters we set. We have a responsibility to set those rules and boundaries for our own kids — and no one else’s. […]

Local News

Calling all South Floridians: Create Christmas in October to Honor Military Heroes

     Every fall for the past 10 years, caring South Floridians have teamed up with the American Red Cross to create a little holiday cheer for our troops overseas and local veterans in hospitals and nursing homes. The organization’s Holiday for Heroes project invites your community to write messages of thanks and donate snacks, playing cards and other small items for holiday care packages — which are delivered in colorful stockings hand-sewn by Red Cross volunteers.  […]

Local News

60th Anniversary  

An evening of profound significance unfolded in Fort Lauderdale as New Era Lodge No. 69, in conjunction with esteemed community partners, came together to mark the 60th anniversary of the tragic 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing. Held at the Sunshine Cathedral, this event served as a poignant tribute to the lives lost and a reaffirmation of the enduring legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. […]

Local News

First US Black Senator

The honorable Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first Black man elected to the US Senate in 1870. He was elected by the great state of Mississippi to fill the seat held by Jefferson Davis. Senator Davis vacated the seat when the south seceded from the Union to start the civil war in 1861. It was a weird twist of fate that a Black man after the war would take the seat held by the former President of the Confederacy. […]