Study tracks how stimulus affects race, poverty in Florida
Oct 21, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Nadege Charles - Miami Herald - October 13, 2009
An early look at a study to be released in phases over the next year
provides a glimpse into how stimulus spending will impact Florida's
poorer communities.
Researchers from Ohio State, Florida International University and the
Miami Workers Center will track racial biases of stimulus spending
across four metropolitan regions - Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and
Miami-Dade.
As you should know by
now the Miami Workers Center 10th Anniversary Celebration is happening.
And it is happening soon.
The Friends and Founders Gala is on November
14, 2009, 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm. This is going to be the biggest party of
the year. Seriously. And you should be there.
To
help you enjoy the gala even more (as if you needed help) we have some
specials set up. From hotel rooms for the out of towners, to a local
shuttle for the locals. Read all the way through, and see you on the
sand.
For the Out-Of-Towners (or locals treating yourselves)
This
Art Deco hotel captures the essence of a premier and legendary South
Beach hotel. Step into either an ocean or garden view room and feel the
scented Palm breezes brushed up from the South Beach sands.
Beyond
the usual amneties enjoy the private beach access the mere steps from
South Beach attractions. This is the place to be to recharge for the
fight.
We have 20 rooms blocked until October 19, 5 PM.
Tell them you are with the Miami Workers Center and you will get the
discounted price of $255/night.
The
Standard Hotel is a gathering place for Miami's healthy glitterati.
Whether you're sunning by the outdoor mud bath, sweating it out on the
hot marble slab, or detoxing in the sauna, The Standard will melt away
the stress of working for a better world.
We have 20
rooms blocked until October 19, 5 pm. Tell them you are with the Miami
Workers Center and you will get the discounted price of $199/night plus
a basic spa package.
For the In-Towners
We will have a shuttle leaving from the Miami Workers Center going to
the Raleigh Hotel before the Gala and returning after. Please RSVP with
ShaWanda Manuel at
Almost
7 years ago Shirley Gibson stood before the County Commission and asked
them to approve incorporation of Miami Gardens. Miami Gardens had tried
to incorporate for several years. Like other incorporation efforts, she
was subjected to all the reasons why incorporation would not work for
Miami Gardens. But Shirley is smart; she knew her community better than
any County Commissioner. She had been in this situation before several
years earlier when she was part of the incorporation effort for the
same area then called Destiny. Destiny was shot down by big money
influence on the County Commissioners.
This time around she
would not take “no” for an answer. She was told that Miami Gardens was
a poor black community and could not survive on their own. Shirley, a
former cop, would not be intimidated. When Vile Natacha came at her,
she fired back with facts and figures and such resolve that even the
Vile One backed off. (hit read more)
In
the end the Commission approved Miami Gardens’ incorporation but the
sense was, ‘don’t come to us when you fail. We will not bail you out’.
Today Shirley is Mayor of the largest predominantly black city in the
State. One measure of their success is that Miami Gardens is the only
newly incorporated city to start their own, independent police
department.
On September 27, 2009, the front page of the Tampa
Bay section of the St. Petersburg Times profiled Miami Gardens and
Mayor Gibson, Prudent city can brag as it saves
by Janet Zink. The lead says, “As other Florida cities struggle with
budgets, Miami Gardens is still hiring and building”. And they are
saving for rainier days too. Shirley won’t say it, but I will: The
Commission was dead wrong about Miami Gardens and they are about other
incorporation efforts too.
It’s time the county removes the
moratorium on incorporations and lets citizens control their own
destiny. We should not be slaves to the county’s bloated inefficiency
and salaries.
Community Avengers Strike Again
Sep 10, 2009 at 11:53 AM
On a quiet evening outside of Miami Gardens City Hall, the
Community Avengers joined forces with residents and pastors from Miami Gardens
to fight back against the banks responsible for the recession.Always on call to do battle with the villains
of bad government and corporate greed, the Community Avengers rallied to
support an ordinance that would sanction foreclosing banks.“Banks
get bailed out, people get thrown out! We won’t take it no more!”This was our rallying call as we
expressed our outrage at the actions of bank who received billions in taxpayer
dollars.
The Miami Workers Center is a strategy and action center that builds
the collective strength of working class and poor Black and Latino
communities in Miami. We work to increase the power and
self-determination of these communities by initiating and supporting
community-led grassroots organizations that confront the critical
social issues of our time: poverty, racism, and gender oppression. We
achieve this by building the broadest and deepest base among our
constituencies; developing the strategic and tactical leadership
capacity of low-income Blacks and Latinos; shifting the public debate
around issues impacting our communities; and building coalitions and
alliances that enable us to amplify our power and message.
This
Art Deco hotel captures the essence of a premier and legendary South
Beach hotel. Step into either an ocean or garden view room and feel the
scented Palm breezes brushed up from the South Beach sands.
Almost
7 years ago Shirley Gibson stood before the County Commission and asked
them to approve incorporation of Miami Gardens. Miami Gardens had tried
to incorporate for several years. Like other incorporation efforts, she
was subjected to all the reasons why incorporation would not work for
Miami Gardens. But Shirley is smart; she knew her community better than
any County Commissioner. She had been in this situation before several
years earlier when she was part of the incorporation effort for the
same area then called Destiny. Destiny was shot down by big money
influence on the County Commissioners.
