I watched my parents go to the polls to vote in the early 1960s. They had to recite the preamble to the constitution while ignorant and illiterate white people waltzed right in. Racists poll workers had jars of jelly beans. Black voters had to guess how many. Then the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965.
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In March 2005, I was elected as the First Mayor in the City of West Park, a municipality in Broward County, Florida. The city consists of the neighborhoods of Carver Ranches, Lake Forest, Miami Gardens, and Utopia which were previously unincorporated neighborhoods. Incorporation was ratified in 2004, after the Florida Legislature approved House Bill 1491, which provided for an election on November 2, 2004. Following a vote of 3,400 to 956 for incorporation, West Park was on its way to becoming Broward County’s 31st city.
Everybody knew their next-door neighbor and those in the neighborhood. Locked doors weren’t the custom and snacks were always available for us. We felt loved and always welcomed. However, our parents did tell us not to wear out our welcome.
Where do these principles stand as the 250th Birthday of the Declaration, July 4, 2026, approaches? A candid, honest assessment is not promising.
For years, Anna Fusco has positioned herself as a champion for Broward County Public Schools employees. To many educators and support staff, however, there is a growing question: Is the public image matching the reality?
For generations, education has been the single most powerful tool for community advancement and economic impact. Right here in Fort Lauderdale and across South Florida, our African American community understands that a high-quality education is the key that unlocks doors. At Broward College, we are committed to being an institution built on achievement, ensuring that every resident has an equitable pathway to success.
While they draw, let us erase
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr. As a former athlete, I learned that competition is not about asking the other team to leave its best player at home.…
America’s constitutional system design attempted to prevent the concentration of power in any single branch of government. Yet critics argue that the nation is witnessing a troubling erosion of those safeguards. Elected officials and institutions are increasingly placing partisan objectives above their constitutional responsibilities. The central question is, “why are elected officials betraying their constitutional oath?
Woody Guthrie proudly sang “This land is your land, this land is my land / From California to the New York island,” but, in fact, the conversion of vast public resources and wealth to private property is one of the defining dynamics of American history. The political economist Thorstein Veblen called this process “The American Plan:” the conversion of public resources into private hands as fast as possible.