Miami, FL -- Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson issued the following statement on the passing of Congressman Hastings: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend, colleague, and fellow Fiskite, Congressman Alcee Hastings. He was the first African-American man from Florida to be elected to Congress. He was a giant freedom fighter for the lost and left out, especially black… Read more »
Miami, FL -- Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson issued the following statement on the American Jobs Plan:"Since my first day in Congress, my mantra has been ‘Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!' and the infrastructure plan that President Biden outlined this week aims to achieve that goal. President Biden's American Jobs Plan is a robust and transformative investment in our nation and American workers… Read more »
Miami, FL – As in so many aspects of American life, access to coronavirus testing, treatment, and vaccines is an equity issue. Across the state, black people have tested positive for the virus at twice the rate of whites and the vaccination rate is equally dismal. The numbers are particularly dire in Miami-Dade County communities like Opa-Locka, for example, where 53 percent of the… Read more »
Kamala Harris tells Florida teens to ‘lead with conviction' at MLK Jr. eventMiami Herald / Samantha J. Gross / January 18, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic's wrath in Florida has put a strain on families, had an outsized effect on Florida's Black communities and forced schools to go virtual. Marked by interruption and uncertainty, young people had a particularly challenging 2020. During a… Read more »
5000 Role Models Of Excellence Hold Virtual Scholarship BreakfastCBS Miami / Lauren Pastrana / January 18, 2021 MIAMI (CBSMiami) – For more than two decades, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence have held their scholarship breakfast in Miami in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. However, due to COVID-19, that tradition was held virtually this year. That didn't stop students,… Read more »
An attack on America that's divided Congress — and a nationThe Hill / Mike Lillis and Scott Wong / January 16, 2021 On the evening of Sept. 11, 2001, just hours after terrorists attacked the United States, scores of lawmakers from both parties gathered on the Capitol's East Steps for an outward show of national solidarity and an impromptu rendering of "God Bless America." There was… Read more »
Florida lawmaker: Trump guilty of ‘treasonous betrayal of our nation'South Florida Sun Sentinel / Anthony Man / January 13, 2021 As the House debated impeaching President Donald Trump for inciting the deadly riot a week ago at the Capitol, the Florida delegation showed deep division, completely along party lines, agreeing about nothing concerning the riot and Trump's culpability.… Read more »
South Florida Reps. Split Along Party Lines on 25th Amendment Vote to Remove TrumpNBC Miami / January 13, 2021 South Florida's three GOP members - Reps. Carols Gimenez, Mario Diaz-Balart and newly sworn in Maria Elvira Salazar - all voted against the resolution The eight members of the United States House of Representatives representing South Florida districts voted along party lines in… Read more »
New acting chief of Capitol Police namedMiami Times / Bianca Marcof / January 13, 2021 The U.S. Capitol Police has named Yogananda Pittman as acting chief of police, making her the first Black woman to hold that position. The announcement came the day after the resignation of former chief Steven Sund, in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. The Morgan State University alumnus… Read more »
The Capitol assault reminds us of the value of our voteThe Miami Times / Congresswoman Frederica Wilson / January 12, 2021 On Jan. 6, 2021, the world watched in horror as thousands of insurrectionists launched an assault on the U.S. Capitol. As commander-in-chief, Donald Trump's primary duty is to protect America's and Americans' safety. Instead, he commandeered members of his base… Read more »
