Kim Kieran’s book “A Knight’s Tour: A Young Boy’s Journey with Chess” explores the challenges of raising a gifted child

Kim Kieran’s book “A Knight’s Tour: A Young Boy’s Journey with Chess” explores the challenges of raising a gifted child – African American News Today – EIN Presswire

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Takeaways from Tallahassee — Putting aside partisan politics for the pets

Adjourn to the Gov Club if you must, but Wednesday, Jan. 24, the “it” place to be after hours is the Red Dog Blue Dog fundraiser in CollegeTown.

As they have done since 2015, teams of Republican and Democratic Legislators will be behind the bar slinging drinks for tips at Township bar from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. to raise money for local animal rescue organizations. To make the night more interesting, it’s a competition, with the winning team earning bragging rights for the next year. Team Red has won a Supermajority of past contests, but there was a Blue Wave last year. The grand total raised in 2023 was $49,705.

“I’m biased, but I think it’s the most fun event every year during Session,” said organizer Sara Clements. “It’s using partisan politics for good.”

The event will once again be held in the Township Bar, 619 S. Woodward Ave.

Red Dog Blue Dog started with just one bartender for each party, but as its popularity grew, so did the team size. This year, organizers have doubled the number of each team so guest bartenders can spell each other during the festivities.

Township Bar is the place to be on Wednesday.

“They are actually bartending and it can get tiring,” explained Clements. Not to mention giving the volunteer legislators a chance to work the crowd.

On the Red Team are Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera, Sen. Jonathan Martin, Sen. Jennifer Bradley, Rep. Michelle Salzman, Rep. James Buchanan, Sen. Alexis Calatayud, Rep. Mike Giallombardo and Rep. John Snyder.

Repping for Team Blue are Rep. Dan Daley, Rep. Daryl Campbell, Sen. Jason Pizzo, Sen. Lauren Book, Sen. Tracie Davis, Rep. Allison Tant, Rep. Lindsay Cross and Rep. David Silvers.

The presenting sponsor for the event is Lisa Miller & Associates, and the bar sponsor is Rubin Turnbull. Gold sponsors include TECO, Moffitt Cancer Center, On3PR, Anheuser-Busch and McGuireWoods Consulting.

Uber is this year’s transportation partner. Using code RDBD24 will get you up to $15 off rides to and from the event.

Township is donating a portion of proceeds from all specialty drinks — including beer in a bespoke RDBD glass mug — as well as a short menu of food items that have been added to the night’s liquid offerings.

If you can’t be there, make a tax-deductible donation online via PayPal at reddogbluedog.org. If you’re bringing a check, make it out to Animal Shelter Foundation. And don’t forget Humane Lobby Day, set for Monday, Jan. 20.

Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Christine Jordan Sexton and the staff of Florida Politics.

But first, the “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

—Take 5 —

Cold comfort: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign bet a lot on Iowa and lost. Though he still managed to eke out a narrow second-place finish, the Governor lagged behind former President Donald Trump by 30 points. His prospects in the next few early states aren’t much better — he’s trailing Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in New Hampshire, which votes Tuesday, and in South Carolina, which votes next month. Still, DeSantis said he’s ready for a “long, scrappy campaign” stretching into March.

Passidomo priority passes: The Senate unanimously passed “Live Healthy” the name given to Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s priority health care bills (SB 7016/SB 7018). Passidomo’s plan aims to bolster the state’s health care workforce by increasing the amount of money Florida spends on graduate medical education training and loan repayment programs for doctors and dentists. Live Healthy also includes $25 million to encourage community-based clinics to develop residency programs to help train doctors. The Senate trimmed $116 million in spending from the bills before passing them unanimously and immediately certifying them to the House.

Keeping it safe: The House this week unanimously passed legislation (HB 385) that requires each county Sheriff to designate at least one parking lot as a neutral safe exchange location for parents. HB 385 also makes clear that a court can order the exchange of a child to be conducted at the designated safe exchange location if there is evidence that one of the parents or child is at risk of imminent threat of harm. The bill also requires that domestic violence forms be altered to allow a petitioner to request exchanges be conducted in safe places. Sarah Kay, chair of The Family Law Section of The Florida Bar, commended the House for passing the bill, also known as Cassie’s Law, saying it approved meaningful legislation that will protect children and families, and we are grateful for their good, thoughtful work in this area.”

Moving forward: The two Democratic prosecutors suspended by Gov. DeSantis are continuing their fight to regain their jobs. Monique Worrell, who has challenged her suspension to the Florida Supreme Court, this week formally launched her bid to return as State Attorney for Orange and Osceola counties. Andrew Warren, who notched a legal victory from a federal appeals court earlier this month, got another boost when the same court ruled this week that DeSantis and his legal team have until next week to file a motion that seeks to have the court reconsider its decision. In legal filings this week lawyers for the Governor signaled they planned to appeal.

Defining it: The Florida House passed by a 113-3 vote a bill that would place a broad definition of antisemitism in Florida statutes. The legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike Gottlieb lists many examples of antisemitic rhetoric, including “dehumanizing” stereotypes that Jews hold disproportionate institutional power and secretly control the world economy, Holocaust denial and double standards when criticizing Israel, the world’s only Jewish-majority country. The legislation heads next to the Florida Senate where there may be changes made to the bill before a final vote.

— Electrifying news —

DeSantis announced that more than $35 million is being allocated to 28 Florida school districts and eight state colleges to create or expand semiconductor-related instructional programs for students.

Florida already ranks No. .5 in the nation for semiconductor manufacturing jobs and No. 3 in the nation for semiconductor establishments. DeSantis said the additional funds ensure Florida remains at the “forefront of innovation.”

“By providing workforce education in our classrooms, students learn skills they can use to obtain high-paying jobs in growing industries like semiconductor manufacturing,” DeSantis said. “This investment continues our commitment to making Florida No. 1 for workforce education and positioning our state at the forefront of innovation.”

Citrus, theme parks, beaches … and semiconductors? Sign us up.

The following school districts are slated to receive funds: Alachua County School District; Brevard County School District; Broward County School District; Calhoun County School District; Charlotte County School District; Citrus County School District; Clay County School District; Collier County School District; Columbia County School District; Duval County School District; Gadsden County School District; Hernando County School District; Highlands School District; Hillsborough County School District; Leon County School District; Marion County School District; Okeechobee County School District; Osceola County School District; Orange County School District; Palm Beach County School District; Pasco County School District; Pinellas County School District; St. Johns County School District; Suwannee County School District; Taylor County School District; Wakulla County School District; Walton County School District; and Washington County School District.

The following state colleges will also receive funds: College of Central Florida, Florida Gateway College, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Seminole State College of Florida, Tallahassee Community College and Valencia College.

“This forward-thinking approach to workforce education underscores Gov. DeSantis’ commitment not only to maintaining Florida’s strong standing in semiconductor manufacturing but also to ensuring that the next generation of professionals are well equipped to lead in this critical industry,” said Manny Diaz Jr., Florida’s Education Commissioner. “We will continue to find ways to provide our students the tools they need to succeed in Florida’s workforce.”

The $35 million is part of the $100 million allocated to the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program. The program provides grants to school district institutions to fund some or all of the costs associated with the creation or expansion of career and technical education workforce development programs that lead to industry certifications included on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List.

— No way, bro! —

Attorney General Ashley Moody issued an update this week warning Floridians about the dangers of the latest trendy street drug, bromazolam.

It’s not a portmanteau for a bro who deals in alprazolam, the generic name for Xanax, but it may as well be. Bromazolam is colloquially referred to as “fake Xanax” because it falls into the same category of pharmaceuticals, benzodiazepines, though it’s often more potent and thus more dangerous.

It’s also seeing a rapid rise in popularity. According to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, bromazolam went from being present in only 1% of toxicology cases submitted to the National Medical Services Labs in 2021 to 13% in mid-2022.

Ashley Moody wants Floridians to remember that ‘one pill can kill.’

While there are risks associated with the drug by its lonesome — namely, loss of coordination, drowsiness, dizziness, respiratory depression, coma and potentially death — there have been an increasing number of detections alongside fentanyl, the synthetic opioid responsible for the preponderance of overdose deaths in the Sunshine State.

In other words, there’s a good chance that chill pills on offer from your local dealer could put you on ice.

“It is imperative that Floridians understand how dangerous bromazolam is on its own. It is also reportedly mixed with fentanyl, leading to adverse health conditions, overdoses and even deaths — including here in Florida. Please, never use an illicit substance. Just one pill can kill,” Moody warned.

The Attorney General urged Floridians who are struggling with substance use disorder to visit TreatmentAtlas.org for list of treatment resources. Meanwhile, those thinking of giving bromazolam a try should consider swinging by Moody’s website for a “Dose of Reality” on the dangers of these loosely regulated novel benzos.

— Patronis’ POV —

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis heaped praise on Sen. Rick Scott’s gubernatorial skills at the Florida TaxWatch State of the Taxpayer Dinner this week in Tallahassee.

Patronis was a member of the Legislature during Gov. Charlie Crist’s tenure in the Governor’s Mansion. Crist’s successor, Scott, appointed Patronis as CFO after Jeff Atwater resigned. Patronis was subsequently elected to the position and then re-elected.

Jimmy Patronis heaped praise on Rick Scott during his State of the Taxpayer Dinner remarks. Image via Instagram.

“I’m one of these unicorns. I was there for the Crist administration, the Scott administration, and now the DeSantis administration. I’ve had a different seat than just about anybody in this room. And you know, I saw Rick Scott see the state of Florida as a business that had potential. You know, it had some financial challenges. It had some weaknesses; it needed some improvements. So, you see, Rick Scott turned the state around and made it a place where you really wanted to do business.”

Patronis also shared his observations of DeSantis, saying he has seen the Governor’s confidence grow since first getting elected in 2018. Patronis also commented on DeSantis’ take-it-or-leave-it governing style.

“I like sometimes his lack of negotiating, or maybe it’s just his lack of communication. Sometimes it’s just the guy’s really busy. You know, it seems like I tell people all the time, he’s a young dad and a young husband,” the CFO said.

— Rebuild and recover —

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson joined legislative leaders this week in announcing the launch of two agricultural disaster recovery programs stocked with more than $112 million to help Florida farmers bounce back from Hurricane Idalia.

Impacted agricultural producers can now apply for the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program and the Silviculture Recovery Program.

In September, Simpson announced the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ estimate of nearly $450 million in losses and damage to Florida agriculture from Hurricane Idalia.

Idalia wreaked havoc on Florida farms, but Wilton Simpson and FDACS are ready to assist in the recovery effort. Image via NOAA/AP.

During a Special Session in October, lawmakers passed a bill (HB 1C) that directed funding to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to launch critical recovery programs for impacted agricultural producers.

“Florida’s agriculture industry sustained widespread damage from Hurricane Idalia, and today’s launch of the Hurricane Idalia agriculture recovery programs — the first state-funded programs of their kind — is another important step to get our impacted producers back on their feet,” Simpson said in a news release.

“Florida’s farmers, ranchers, and growers work day in, day out, rain or shine, to feed our state and nation — and I am proud to stand with Florida’s leaders and once again demonstrate our steadfast support to these hardworking individuals.”

The agriculture and aquaculture fund has a $75 million balance and will dole out low-interest or interest-free loans up to $500,000 for eligible producers impacted by Idalia. An additional $37.5 million is available through the silviculture fund to assist eligible landowners through cost-share grants in declared counties damaged from Hurricane Idalia with site preparation and tree planting activities.

Instagram of the Week

The week in appointments

Environmental Regulation Commission — The Governor appointed Kellie Ralston and John Truitt to the Environmental Regulation Commission. Ralston is the vice president of Conservation and Public Policy for the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Florida State University. Truitt is a Shareholder at GrayRobinson and previously served as a top staffer at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Kaplan University and his law degree from FSU. In addition to the new appointments, DeSantis announced reappoints for current ERC members Eric Buermann, Thomas Frazer, Jim McCarthy and Cari Roth.

Veteran roundtable

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez hosted a roundtable discussion with Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Executive Director Major General James S. “Hammer” Hartsell and Sen. Danny Burgess, regarding allowing veterans’ spouses to reside in VA nursing homes as envisioned in SB 174.

“Since taking office, we have made meaningful and significant investments for our veterans, active duty service members, and their families,” Nuñez said “With Florida being the most veteran and military-friendly state in the nation, we will continue to make good on our promises in fighting for the men and women who fought for us.”

The roundtable discussion is part of Nuñez’s “LG on Mission” initiative, where she travels the state highlighting the DeSantis administration’s commitment to military and veteran affairs.

Jeanette Nuñez continued her ‘LG on Mission’ tour with a roundtable discussion this week. Image via Twitter/@LtGovNunez.

Nearly 1.5 million veterans are living in Florida making the Sunshine State the third-largest veteran population nationwide.

“Today’s roundtable in Tallahassee is a great opportunity to showcase our outstanding State Veterans’ Homes program. Expanding the pool of eligible veterans’ homes residents to include veterans’ spouses is the compassionate thing to do and will be well received in Florida’s veteran community,” Hartsell said. “Growing the number of state veterans’ homes from nine to 11 and expanding the long-term care services we provide reinforces that Florida is the most veteran sought-after and veteran-friendly state in the nation.” ‎

DeSantis’s proposed fiscal year 2024-25 budget includes $57 million to the Florida State Guard, $350 million to the Florida National Guard, and an additional $8.9 million to support additional equipment and capital improvements for VA nursing homes and $2 million to help veterans obtain skills-based employment, provide employers with a skilled talent pipeline, and assist veterans in creating and operating a small business. The budget also includes the authority to spend up to $102 million for the construction of the of the ninth VA home, located in Collier County.

“I applaud and share (the DeSantis administration’s commitment) to honoring and supporting our state’s heroes in every way possible. This important legislation I have filed will help those veterans living in our state veterans nursing homes by ensuring they are able to remain close to and continue to live with their spouse while receiving the care and assistance they need and deserve,” said Burgess.

— Budget beginnings —

The first concrete steps in forming the budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year start next week, as the chambers’ appropriations subcommittees will release their proposed spending plans, House and Senate aides said.

As in recent years, the plan for both chambers is for the full appropriations committees to consider and add amendments to the budget bills the following week, and then pass the proposals off their respective floors in Week 5 of the Regular Session.

Florida has been flush with cash, thanks to a booming consumer economy combined with inflation that helped boost the state’s sales tax-reliant revenues, as well as the boost from federal funds from the COVID-19 era.

Unfortunately, money doesn’t grow on trees, so expect lawmakers to unveil a more conservative spending plan for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

But with those federal funds drying up and revenue growth slowing, House Speaker Paul Renner is eyeing a conservative budget this year.

“The separate issue on the budget is simply looking at where we were pre-COVID in some areas and making sure that we start to align our spending with the decline in the growth of revenue. Revenue has been going up steeply in terms of its growth, and it’s still going up, but the growth is declining sharply,” Renner told reporters Thursday.

“So that means we need to be cautious and not believe that it’s always going to be the best it’s ever been in the coming years and make sure we’re looking carefully at especially recurring spending but also nonrecurring spending.”

We’ll get our first peek at those spending plans this week.

— Hail to the C.H.I.E.F . —

The Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida gave House Speaker Renner something to add to his brag board this week.

Citing the Palm Coast Republican’s commitment to supporting the state’s private, nonprofit higher ed institutions, ICUF presented him with a Champions of Higher Independent Education in Florida award.

“Speaker Renner is a staunch advocate for private, nonprofit higher education, and he recognizes that Florida’s independent colleges and universities offer an incredible value to students seeking to earn their degree, launch a career and join Florida’s workforce,” ICUF President Bob Boyd said.

ICUF’s announced its first C.H.I.E.F. award in 25 years is going to Paul Renner.

“Speaker Renner has worked tirelessly to support EASE student vouchers and provide Florida students more freedom to choose where they pursue their higher education degree, making him the ideal recipient to honor with the C.H.I.E.F. award. ICUF looks forward to continuing our partnership with Speaker Renner and the entire Florida Legislature to improve access to independent higher education for thousands of Floridians.”

The group, which has 30 member institutions, said the C.H.I.E.F. award was created to recognize “distinguished Floridians who are strong advocates for the independent higher education sector and its students.” Like college degrees, C.H.I.E.F. awards aren’t handed out willy-nilly; they’re earned — Renner is the first honoree in a quarter century.

“I am proud to receive the first C.H.I.E.F. award from ICUF in 25 years,” Renner said in a news release. “Increasing access and opportunity to higher education for Floridians is worth every effort and has the potential to change lives and advance our state in many ways. I will continue working with my colleagues in the Florida Legislature to provide Florida’s students with resources to make the best educational decisions for their future.”

Naked Rudman? Nah

DeSantis got a lot of reinforcements in Iowa for his presidential campaign, but few matched the flair of Rep. Joel Rudman, who took his famed rock ‘n’ roll act into subfreezing temperatures to try to help the Governor.

Rudman packed his guitar, which is signed by Ted Nugent, and headed to Indianola, in Warren County, Iowa. Rudman said he spotted an appealing-looking intersection, put up DeSantis signs, and started strumming the guitar, playing Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever,” T Rex’s “Bang a Gong” and Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.”

“We had people honk and there were a lot of a lot of thumbs-up for DeSantis. Obviously, not enough, you know; I wish we had maybe a few hundred more.”

Not even the bitter Iowa cold could stop Joel Rudman from rocking out for DeSantis 2024.

Rudman, who is a physician from Navarre, also learned firsthand how long someone can tolerate subzero temperatures without getting frostbite.

That limit is approximately eight minutes. Roughly two songs, then you gotta get back in the truck,” Rudman told Florida Politics. “I couldn’t feel my hands after two songs.”

Rudman said playing the guitar in subzero temperatures underscores the lengths of what he was prepared to go through to show his support for DeSantis.

But his support does have its limits.

“You know, up in New York City they have street performers, people who will do anything to attract your attention. I think in Times Square they have a guy with an acoustic guitar called the Naked Cowboy. I wasn’t prepared to go that far for my Governor, but I think I went far enough.”

— For Cassie —

Every county in Florida could soon be required to provide a location for parents to safely exchange custody of their children, thanks to legislation now heading to the Senate floor after clearing the House with unanimous support.

The bill (HB 385), sponsored by Rudman and Democratic Rep. Hillary Cassel, would require all court-approved plans for shared parental custody to include unless otherwise agreed to by both parents, a list of “designated authorized locations” to hand off their children.

In cases where a parent provides evidence they or their child are at risk of harm, a court may require the parents to make the exchange in the parking lot of a county Sheriff’s Office.

The parking lot must be well-lit, accessible at all times, identified with a purple light or sign identifying the area as a “neutral safe exchange location” and have video surveillance. Each Sheriff would have to host at least one exchange site per county, though the measure places no cap on the number.

Hillary Cassel is celebrating a big, bipartisan win for Cassie’s Law.

HB 385 is named for 37-year-old Navarre woman Cassie Carli, who vanished in late March 2022 following a scheduled custody exchange of her daughter at a restaurant parking lot near her home.

Carli agreed to a last-minute location change the father requested despite fears she’d shared with friends that he wanted to hurt her. Police uncovered her body in a shallow Alabama grave six weeks later and soon arrested the father, who faces charges related to her death.

“The Cassie Carli Law builds on the legacy of Greyson’s Law, which established a mechanism to protect children at risk of parental harm during custody or visitation disputes. This bill establishes a mechanism to protect parents at risk of potential harm from their former partners during custody exchanges,” Cassel said after the bill cleared the House.

“Parents posing risks to their children often also pose risks to their co-parents, as Cassie and those who loved her have so horrifically experienced. This bill, which I’m proud to sponsor with my colleague Rep. Rudman, acknowledges and accounts for that reality in order to make Florida a safer place for parents and children alike.”

Rudman, who represents Navarre, said pursuing legislation on domestic violence in custody exchanges was far from his mind when he ran for office in 2022 on an “anti-mask, anti-mandate platform.” Then he met Stacy Cole, a former Alabama police officer and friend of Carli’s who presented him with a “list of items” she believed would have prevented her death.

Rudman wrote Cole’s suggestions on a napkin in the doughnut shop at which the rendezvoused, and those ideas became the “Cassie Carli Law.”

“I’m so proud to stand with Rep. Cassel to bring this bill home for Cassie’s friends and family. This bill demonstrates in a bipartisan way how your government is expected to work,” he said. “Thank you to all of Cassie’s loved ones who helped this bill become reality, and I hope today’s passage brings some comfort to Cassie’s family and friends. Today’s efforts will truly save the lives of hundreds of Cassie Carli’s.”

—Task Force talk —

The Florida Legislative Black Caucus will share the latest news on the upcoming Florida Black History Museum during a Tuesday evening event in Florida’s capital city.

FLBC members, including Orlando Sen. Geraldine Thompson, Orlando Rep. Lavon Bracy Davis, West Palm Beach Rep. Jervonte Edmonds, and Miami Gardens Rep. Felicia Robinson, are all on tap to attend the event, which will highlight the work being done by the African American History Museum Task Force.

During the event, members of the African American History Museum Task Force on insights regarding the location, design, content and long-term independent operation of the proposed Florida Black History Museum and the impact it will have on the educational objectives, perception and tourism economy of the State.

Geraldine Thompson and other FLBC members will update the public on the upcoming Florida Black History Museum next week.

The roundtable comes days after the Task Force, chaired by Thompson, agreed to a list of 12 potential spots across Florida they would consider as the home of an official state museum of Black history.

They include Daytona Beach, Havana, Jackson County, Nassau County/Amelia Island, Opa-locka, Orange County, Panama City Beach, Quincy, Sarasota, Seminole County, St. Johns County/St. Augustine and St. Petersburg.

As for the museum’s content, the proposals include perspectives that might not immediately come to mind when contemplating Black history. An example: Regina Gayle Phillips, Executive Director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center in St. Augustine, said she’d like to see exhibits dedicated to Black explorers like Juan Garrido, a free African conquistador who was with Ponce de Leon when he made landfall in Florida.

The list of potential sites will be rated on a 110-point scale that makes considerations for things ranging from the location’s historical significance to Black Floridians to its accessibility in regard to local transportation infrastructure.

The FLBC event will be held at the TNL Performing Arts Center, 1533 South Monroe St. in Tallahassee. It begins at 6 p.m.

—Little good, lotta bad —

One of the state’s top defenders of free speech rights has unveiled its wish list for the 2024 Legislative Session, and it’s defined as much by what they don’t want as what they do.

“For nearly four decades, the First Amendment Foundation has worked with the Florida Legislature to promote proposed laws that would benefit open government and free expression, while pushing back against those that infringed our rights,” FAF Executive Director Bobby Block said in a news release.

“This year is no different. The 2024 Florida Legislative Session currently underway has many dreadful bills and a handful that are pretty good.”

Bobby Block says there are few good bills this Session, but a lot of ‘dreadful’ ones.

First, the “dreadful.”

FAF’s 2024 Legislative Priority List spotlights four bills that it says would trample on what many consider the most important edit to the United States’ founding document.

They include measures that would ban certain student groups from college campuses (HB 465/SB 470), shield the names of police in officer-involved shootings (HB 1605/HB1607), weaken decades-old legal protections for journalists and news outlets (SB 1086/SB 1780/HB 757) and create a public records exemption shielding the names of shareholders and applications for new state banks and financial institutions (HB 85).

“Some of these bills — especially the ones trying to make it easier for rich and powerful people to sue their critics for what they write or say online, on the airways, and in print — are among the biggest threats to free expression in the nation,” Block said.

Now, the “pretty good” bills that FAF plans to support.

The first is a proposal (HB 117/SB 234) that would revise the list of people prohibited from disclosing testimony of a witness examined before a grand jury or the evidence it receives but creates an exception for request by media or an interested person. The second (SB 1494) would boost public records law by increasing penalties for violations related to public records and decreasing fees associated with public records requests.

FAF has opinions on several other issues up for debate this Session. A full listing of their monitored bills is available online.

— IT overhaul l —

Florida TaxWatch released a report it co-authored with Associated Industries of Florida that cites the state’s 25-year history of what it calls “poorly executed large-scale information technology (IT) projects” and includes recommendations to improve the oversight of the digital technology procurements.

Key among those recommendations included in the report, dubbed It’s Time to Reform Florida’s Information Technology Procurement and Oversight, is the establishment of a joint legislative committee dedicated to IT oversight that has exclusive authority over the governance of Florida Digital Services, which was established in 2020. Other recommendations include providing signing and or recruitment bonuses, for agency IT staff.

Just like it’s time to junk this aging PC, Florida TaxWatch and AIF say it’s time to reform Florida’s IT oversight.

“Hardworking Floridians deserve for the state’s multiyear, multimillion-dollar IT projects — funded by their tax dollars — to be delivered on time, within scope, and within budget,” Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro said. “Florida TaxWatch proudly presents this report as a resource for policymakers and their staff and looks forward to engaging with them to reform the state’s IT procurement and oversight processes during the 2024 Legislative Session.”

The report includes details on the planning and oversight of some of the state’s IT platforms, such as the Department of Economic Opportunity’s (now FloridaCommerce’s) CONNECT, the Department of Management Services’ SLERS-2, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities’ iConnect and the Agency for Health Care Administration’s Florida Health Connections, called FX.

FX is the replacement for the state’s current Medicaid Management Information and, when complete, will connect Florida Medicaid IT systems with other state IT systems. The Florida Health Care Connections (FX) Executive Steering Committee voted unanimously in December to halt for at least 12 months’ work on its $154 million IT contract with Gainwell Technologies for “core” services and instead to complete work on two other IT-related contracts by December 2024.

“Florida is a national leader in many areas and clearly needs improvement to lead in the area of IT. It is important that we look to find ways to improve how Florida handles IT processes and to ensure the long-term success of the FL[DS],” AIF President and CEO Brewster Bevis said.

Canadian RX praise

The Florida Pharmacy Association this week reiterated its support of the Food and Drug Administration’s two-year approval of Florida’s Canadian Drug Importation Program saying it is committed to working with the state to make it operational.

“As the most accessible and frequently visited members of a patient’s health care team, we believe pharmacists and pharmacies can play an integral role in the implementation of the program,” FPA interim executive vice president and CEO Michael Jackson said in a statement. “We look forward to a future where high-quality health care is more accessible and affordable for every resident of Florida.”

We don’t know how FPA feels about Molson or poutine, but they sure love the state’s Canadian Drug Importation Program.

The FPA also denounced pharmacy benefit managers (PBMS) in its statement.

“We recognize that the high cost of prescription drugs is often a result of predatory practices by PBMs. PBMs do nothing but raise the cost of prescription drugs by leveraging tactics like extorting and retaining rebates from manufacturers and monopolizing the current U.S. drug supply chain through their vertically integrated sourcing techniques,” Jackson said.

“We further acknowledge and appreciate the meticulous efforts made in developing a program that seeks to ensure the safety and integrity of the U.S. prescription drug supply through a comprehensive regulatory framework that includes a robust drug validation process. The program’s safeguards are consistent with our support of maintaining the highest standards of patient care and strict safety requirements for prescription drugs.”

— Mr. and Ms. Law —

The Student Bar Association at Florida A&M University has spoken: Knicholas Boston and Peg Nonez have been picked as Mr. and Ms. FAMU College of Law for 2023-24.

In a news release, FAMU Law said Boston was an ambitious child who always knew he wanted to be when he grew up: President of the United States. While the road from aspiring lawyer to Commander in Chief is a long one, his latest accolade — earned by securing overwhelming support from his peers — serves as a worthy checkpoint.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be voted as the male representative for FAMU Law,” Boston said. “I’m looking forward to serving our community and making a difference.”

Congrats to Knicholas Boston and Peg Nonez, the 2023-24 picks for Mr. and Ms. FAMU Law.

The one-L from West Palm Beach added that he wants to be a lawyer to influence the world and help the Black community: “Through the law, I want to help our people be paid, respected, and educated. Along with being an attorney, I also want to be a professor one day as well as a political representative.”

Nonez, meanwhile, says she is eager to serve as the college’s ambassador and plans to represent with poise and grace. The second-year law student who also hails from West Palm Beach looks forward to her future legal career and is glad to be at FAMU Law.

“I want to serve as a relatable liaison between underrepresented communities and the legal profession,” said Nonez. “With my Haitian-Dominican background, I look forward to using translation to effectively represent clients in their respective matters.”

The duties of Mr. and Ms. FAMU Law are to represent the College of Law at community events and to serve as a liaison between the FAMU College of Law and FAMU’s main campus in Tallahassee.

— Capitol Directions —

DeSantis 2024 — Down arrow — By next month, the campaign bus will be Columbo’s 403.

Ron DeSantis — Crossways arrow — Regret is a tough but fair teacher.

Jeff Roe — Down arrow — More like Jeff No.

James Uthmeier — Up arrow — We’re not sure he deserves an up arrow, but Scott Ross says he does, so …

Jeremy Redfern — Down arrow — Basements are usually deeper than 6 feet, my man.

Fentrice Driskell — Up arrow — She still leads a superminority, but a little less so now thanks to her work on Tom Keen’s campaign.

DCF — Down arrow — Why is the agency pushing a bill to make adoptions harder, especially after the demise of Roe v. Wade?

Manny Diaz Jr. — Down arrow — He’s so good at his job that two-thirds of Florida voters think teachers should strike!

Wilton Simpson — Up arrow — It pays to have an ag guy running FDACS. Literally.

Wilton Simpson, Part 2 — Up arrow — He may be an egg farmer, but he’ the only statewide elected who doesn’t chicken out confronting the Governor.

Wilton Simpson, Part 3 — Up arrow — And to top it all off, he puts his money where his mouth is.

Kathleen Passidomo — Up arrow — “Is there a doctor in the house?” Why, yes, $800 million worth of them.

Paul Renner — Up arrow — He came through on permitless carry. Celebrate that for more than six months before asking for more.

Jim Boyd — Up arrow — If he lowers our property insurance premiums, he gets up arrows for life.

Travis Hutson — Up arrow — Some people drop quarters in parking meters. Others name screening centers after the Senate President’s parents. Three cheers for random acts of kindness.

Corey Simon — Up arrow — If you’re under 18, roofs are solely WWE re-enactments.

Erin Grall — Up arrow — GATE will get a lot of kids back on track.

Carolina Amesty — Up arrow — Is caring for newborn as fun as jury duty? Future moms may never know.

Webster Barnaby — Down arrow — That was more painful than reading a SparkNotes book report.

Linda Chaney — Up arrow — She’s one shell of an advocate for Florida wildlife.

Jervonte Edmonds — Up arrow — Welcome to The Show.

Joel Rudman —Up arrow — Did he dip his mitt in Spider Tack?

Bad cops — Down arrow — Are we living in a Paul Verhoeven movie?

Pace Center for Girls — Up arrow — Their turnout game is strong.

Parents’ rights — Down — They only apply in school media centers.

Porch pirates — Down arrow — Sorry, Florida has a strict no tricorns outside of Gasparilla rule.

Teachers — ??? — The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher … well, apparently, they start looking for jobs in other states.

Florida TaxWatch — Up arrow — The “eyes and ears” of taxpayers is on high alert this Session.

CRNA’s — Crossways arrow — A duck by any other name still quacks ‘scope is scope!’

Fred Baggett — Up arrow — His 50-year career ended with a fitting fête.

Eric Edwards — Up arrow — It’s nice to see when good things happen to a great person.

Brendan Farrington — Up arrow — We know he and the rest of AP are itching to say, “drag him,” but they’re too classy for that.

ACC v. FSU — This one may get uglier than the Orange Bowl.

Monkeys — Crossways arrow — Time to test the infinite monkey theorem, Bainbridge.

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Here’s how we can protect America’s children and families

“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is manmade, and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” Nelson Mandela (2005)

Poverty is not a natural innate condition, but the result of our individual, national and global actions and inactions. Acting to correct this manufactured human suffering is one of the premier human rights issues of our lifetime.

William Felice
William Felice [ UNKNOWN | Photo: Courtesy ]

President Franklin Roosevelt recognized this fact at the height of the Great Depression and proposed the New Deal for America. His New Deal embraced a series of policy proposals to overcome market failure and to protect the economic and social human rights of the most vulnerable. Some of these policies succeeded, while others failed. Yet the premise behind his actions, that governments have a duty to mobilize resources to act for the public welfare, continues to inspire.

The public institutions and economic reforms created out of the New Deal gave the U.S. government the ability to establish a basic level of economic security for its citizens. These institutions and reforms were designed to provide both short-term relief and a long-term economic safety net for all Americans. While Roosevelt’s New Deal failed to adequately meet the needs of African Americans and the very poor, these public policies, including Social Security, prevented millions from falling into poverty and destitution.

Very few liberals or conservatives promote such large-scale New Deal reforms today. Yet, successful public policy in 2020-2023 once again demonstrated the ability of the government to effectively mobilize resources to ameliorate suffering and empower the poor. The success of key programs included in the 2020 CARES Act (signed by then-President Donald Trump) and the 2021 American Rescue Plan (signed by President Joe Biden) show us a way forward. These effective and triumphant policies demonstrate how Democrats and Republicans can come together to address acute human suffering in America today.

Three particularly effective programs that helped millions of Americans were the expansion of: (1) the child tax credit; (2) unemployment insurance; and (3) health insurance access.

The Expanded Child Tax Credit: The most successful component of the American Rescue Plan was the expanded child tax credit, which increased the stipend from $2,000 to $3,000 for children 6 and above, and to $3,600 for children under 6. The credit was distributed monthly and earnings requirements were removed. To receive the previous child tax credit, parents had to make enough money to file income taxes. This excluded families working for poverty wages or unsteady work. It also meant that families that paid low federal income taxes received a smaller child tax credit. The American Rescue Plan dramatically changed this regressive policy. Families now received the full child credit amount no matter how poor they were. The program now resembled a universal child allowance that according to poverty expert Matthew Desmond “reached poor, working-class and middle-class families alike.”

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Desmond reports that the program “reduced child poverty to its lowest rate in U.S. history, driving it down by 44% in six months. Forty-four percent. Six months. When Christmas came in 2021, 5.5 million fewer children were living in poverty than had been the previous Christmas.” Desmond continues: “The extraordinary progress displayed during the pandemic should make it impossible for anyone to still maintain the false belief that poverty cannot be ameliorated by government action.”

Unemployment Insurance Expansion: The congressional legislation provided unemployment insurance to more than 15 million people previously not covered, including part-time workers, independent contractors and the self-employed (including “gig workers”). These major unemployment program changes not only expanded eligibility but also smoothed differences between state programs. During the coronavirus pandemic, work searching requirements were relaxed and extra weeks of benefits were added. The American economy in the 21st century now fundamentally relies on part time and gig workers. Millions of workers thus gained essential unemployment protection for the first time during the COVID economic crisis.

Health Insurance Access Expansion: A third remarkably successful program was the policy to decrease health insurance prices for Americans who buy their own insurance, and further, making it free for the lowest earners. According to The New York Times, this led to the uninsured rate dropping to a record low of 8%. Congress has extended these subsidies through 2025. Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, stated: “What we did show is we actually can help people stabilize their situations quite a bit if we’re willing to provide assistance.”

While the increased health insurance access will continue through 2025, the expansion of both the child tax credit and unemployment insurance have already been stopped. The negative impact on our nation’s poor and working class was immediate. For example, the Census Bureau reported in September 2023 that, as a result of the expiration of the child tax credit, child poverty more than doubled between 2021 and 2022, jumping from 5.2% to 12.4%. These abstract numbers translate into 5.1 million children pushed into deprivation and suffering. All of the major unemployment program changes and expansions ended by September 2021. In addition, the policy that protected Medicaid enrollees from losing coverage during the pandemic is being phased out in numerous states.

The pandemic antipoverty programs lifted millions of children out of poverty, helped millions of citizens to access health care, and provided millions of gig workers protection from falling into deep poverty. Yet, crisis conditions for the poor remain. For example, economists estimate that one in five children in Florida live in poverty, totaling more than 870,000 adolescents.

We cannot allow our political polarization and congressional gridlock to prevent the permanent expansion of these social benefits. Social conservatives in the Republican Party have been open to spending on policies that support families. Liberals in the Democratic party consistently argue for social welfare spending to protect the vulnerable. Is bipartisan unity possible?

Compared to other federal programs, including the budgets for the military, Social Security and Medicare, the costs for these children and family protection measures are modest. According to economists, the costs would be only slightly more than half the annual revenue we lost from the 2017 Trump tax cut. Furthermore, these programs help to stabilize the health and well-being of working families and children throughout America, which is good for our economy and the future of our country. The pandemic relief programs gave us a road map to begin to correct this egregious injustice.

Nelson Mandela is correct. Overcoming poverty is fundamentally “an act of justice.”

William F. Felice is professor emeritus of political science at Eckerd College. He is the author of six books on human rights and international relations. This article draws on material from his book, with coauthor economics professor Diana Fuguitt, “Human Rights and Public Goods” (2021). Felice can be reached via his website: williamfelice.com.

I Rent a Million-Dollar Home. Why Can’t I Buy One?

… ’s Value Is Based on Racism.” The author was then–Emory … rarely produces the wealth for Black Americans that it does for white … as a workaround to the racism: She rents a modest condo … to nullify the effects of racism—the market will always be … RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News

Interview: The Color Network On the Significance of Building Community, Teaching Diversity, and Facilitating Access for Artists of Color



Art Colossal

#ceramics #sculpture #The Color Network

January 19, 2024

Kate Mothes

The Color Network website. All images © the artists

Let’s rewind to 1991. Ceramic artist and professor Bobby Scroggins, who was frustrated by the lack of access and recognition for artists and craftspeople of color—particularly Black artists—took matters into his own hands. At the conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), he sought out Black and Brown faces in the crowd and organized informal chats, inviting peers and colleagues to form a cohort. Soon, The Color Network was born.

The original organization ran until 2014. Fast-forward to 2018 when a conversation at the annual NCECA conference spearheaded by artists Natalia Arbelaez and April D. Felipe initiated a new organization with the same name. I sat down for an interview with three of TCN’s co-organizers, including Arbelaez, George Rodriguez, and Magdolene Dykstra, who put it best when she described the power of making resources available:

Educators and curators are well aware of needing to question the models they’ve been following and decenter previously prioritized groups. For me, as an educator, that’s the most exciting aspect of the database: there is no longer any excuse for any educator to say that they just don’t know any artists of color.

Read the interview.

Three people wear face masks and stand over a table where they are looking at various ceramic pieces.Three people wear face masks and stand over a table where they are looking at various ceramic pieces.

Kiln opening at Watershed Residency, 2022, with Shaya Ishaq, George Rodriguez, and Yesha Panchal

#ceramics #sculpture #The Color Network

 

 

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Celebrate Black and African Culture With Two Outstanding Exhibits At This Oregon Art Museum

Celebrate Black and African Culture With Two Outstanding Exhibits At This Oregon Art Museum – Only In Your State ®

The Portland Art Museum always makes for a wonderful, enlightening outing. But that’s especially true right now as the museum is putting on two exciting, informative exhibits this winter and spring that aren’t to be missed. Both exhibits showcase the rich contributions of Black Oregonians and African culture to the arts and our local and larger communities.

The first exhibit showcases the work of some of Oregon’s amazing Black artists. The other celebrates African culture through fashion. Be sure to head to the Portland Art Museum soon to experience both of these compelling shows — and to check out the other wonderful galleries and exhibitions.

For more information about these fantastic exhibits, visit the Portland Art Museum website. If your visit to the museum includes a drive, you may want to stock up on car-friendly snacks and/or eat at the museum’s The PMA Café by the Black Tie Company.

We’d love to know how you enjoyed your visit to the museum, so please leave a comment to let us know about your experience.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Culture x Design’s Black History Month Lineup Has Films, Trivia and More

Film screenings, forums and concerts honoring the major contributions of Black creatives to visual arts, music and culture highlight a newly launched local Black History Month celebration. 

The programming is the brainchild of Culture x Design, a recently launched Milwaukee event and marketing agency founded by brand marketing executives Geraud Blanks and Maureen Post, in collaboration with Milwaukee business leader Ranell Washington, who will serve as lead advisor. 

Blanks and Post are both former executives at Milwaukee Film, the nonprofit operator of the annual Milwaukee Film Festival and the Oriental Theatre, the historic East Side movie venue.  


 

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Blanks expressed the importance of offering inclusive activities during Black History Month.

“The need for diverse thought, engaging dialogue and entertaining cultural expression never gets old and is never outdated,” said Blanks, who serves as Culture x Design’s managing partner and creative director. “Our mission is to create platforms that celebrate our shared culture.”

The program features a varied lineup of activities, including Black History Trivia, a forum focused on Black creative entrepreneurship and two special events dedicated to exploring the musical legacy of recording artist Lauryn Hill, marking the 25th anniversary of her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Joan Morgan; Photo courtesy of Culture x Design

The kick-off event, In Retrospect: The Life & Times of Lauryn Hill, will take place on Feb. 10 at Radio Milwaukee (220 E. Pittsburgh Ave.) Baltimore educator LaShay Harvey, founder of Black Girl Saturday School, and award-winning cultural critic Joan Morgan, program director of the Center for Black Culture at New York University, delve into Hill’s cultural impact as a singer-songwriter, rapper and actor. Morgan, a pioneering feminist writer and hip-hop journalist, authored She Begat This: Twenty Years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

A Hill tribute concert, Groove Theory: The Lauryn Hill Experience, will be held at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at The Cooperage (822 S. Water St.). Milwaukee ensemble Brew City Soul will present renditions of Hill’s music.

The Black History Month programming is being offered through a collaboration between Culture x Design and the Milwaukee Brewers, Bank of America and media partners HYFIN/Radio Milwaukee. 

Here’s the lineup: 

  • Black History Trivia, Feb. 3, Company Brewing, 735 E Center St. 
  • Reel-to-Real: Short Films & Conversation, Feb. 8, Radio Milwaukee, 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. A Short film screening followed by guided discussions and happy hour networking. 
  • In Retrospect: The Life & Times of Lauryn Hill, Feb. 10, Radio Milwaukee, 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. 
  • Black Love x Design: Boomerang Reconsidered, Feb. 16, Radio Milwaukee, 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. Culture x Design’s Geraud Blanks leads a conversation the impact of the 1992 romantic comedy on Black cinema. 
  • Groove Theory: The Lauryn Hill Experience, Feb. 24, The Cooperage, 822 S Water St. 
  • Creativity x Design: Black in Milwaukee’s Creative Economy, Feb. 29, Marn Art + Culture Hub, 191 N. Broadway, Suite 102. A Networking soiree and town hall-style discussion on the economic prospects for local Black artists and cultural entrepreneurs.





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RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’ Filmmaker Kobi Libii Isn’t Surprised About Sparking Internet Controversy: ‘I Understand Being Deeply Suspicious’

Kobi Libii knew “The American Society of Magical Negroes” would be controversial. After all, the film is a critique of the “magical negro,” the cinematic trope where Black characters are constructed to support white protagonists without internal lives of their own.

Libii grew up in Gary, Ind. in the ’90s, during a run of those movies. “Some of them were seared in my brain,” he tells Variety, remembering a time when “The Legend of Bagger Vance” and “The Green Mile” were lauded by critics and audiences alike, even though they reinforce those tropes. (Both movies are not-so-indirectly referenced in the film.) “It really agitated me at the time but I didn’t have a language for that. I was just told that this was a great movie even though Black people are doing this.”

Now that he’s got a foothold in Hollywood, Libii is taking that type of representation to task, asking audiences to take a deeper look at the way racism impacts our minds and the insidious qualities of racism which are more difficult to make tangible and visible.

“The subject matter I’m playing with is really sensitive and raw, and people have such strong, visceral feelings about it,” he explains. “I think means that we’re pointed in the right direction in terms of what we should be talking about. I’m genuinely excited for people to bring that same passion and political conviction into what I think is the more sophisticated and intricate and nuanced conversation that the full film is.”

When Libii sits down for our interview in early January, he’s buzzing with energy — a mix of excitement and anxiety about the world premiere of the film, in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. It’s Libii’s feature directorial debut, but as a veteran writer, actor and comedian, he doesn’t feel much like a newcomer. Then there’s the fact that the film already has distribution from Focus Features (which will release the film on March 15), so he’s not like the other filmmakers chasing a distributor. And the picture has been locked since late summer, so he’s not worried about racing against the clock before its debut at the Eccles Theater on Friday afternoon.

What Libii is eagerly anticipating, though, is the reaction from the live audience. “I love the audience reaction, especially because it’s a comedy, so people giving other people permission to laugh – especially about some of the tricker stuff — is something I’m looking forward to,” he says.

The last time Libii was at the festival was in 2019, while participating in the Sundance Institute’s screenwriting and directing lab. He was workshopping “The American Society of Magical Negroes” and connected with Justice Smith, who would go on to star in the film as Aren, a recruit to a secret society magical Black people who “dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance.” The cause: ensuring that white people are comfortable.

Libii began working on this idea in 2016, imagining it first as a two-and-a-half minute comedy sketch about this secret society. But as he began writing, Libii realized he was working on something bigger — and working out something deeper that he’d internalized long ago as a biracial person.

“I came up for air a couple of hours into working on it realized that really what I was writing about was a very particular defense mechanism that I was taught as a Black man growing up in America, about how to keep myself safe, and how to navigate systemic racism. And that particular defense mechanism was making sure that the powerful white people around me were comfortable.”

The example he uses to make that idea tangible for people is the direct conversation that his father had with him about how to act around cops, known for many Black people as “The Talk.”

Looking back, Libii distinctly remembers the sense of unease that his father (who is Black; Libii’s mother is white) had when it came time for him to start driving as a teenager, which often necessitates having this conversation. His father told him: “It’s not about your pride. It’s not about you looking cool or feeling good about yourself. It’s about you literally staying alive in that situation, so you just be on your best behavior.”

But what happened to Libii — and many Black people, including this writer — is that he “overlearned that lesson in terms of the way he moved through the world and related to powerful white people.”

“What I realized writing about this trope and writing about the society and depicting a group of Black people that, because of racism, were hyper-focued on serving white people, I found a trouble resonance in the lessons I’d learned about how to navigate America,” Libii says. “That’s a really challenging — and for me, a very embarrassing — conversation for people to wade into. And it provokes very strong feelings. Appropriately.”

And from the moment “The American Society of Magical Negroes” was announced, the internet discourse began. First came the educational period where cinephiles explained to everyday moviegoers that this was not a movie about a Black Harry Potter but instead referred to the trope popularized in 2001 by Spike Lee in reference to movies stereotype their Black characters into roles that purely serve the white leads. Then came the trailer, which inflamed the Fox News crowd, sparking anger for saying “white people are the most dangerous animal.”

In context, a veteran member of the society named Roger (David Alan Grier) is explaining the group’s function to Aren. “White people feeling uncomfortable preambles a lot of bad stuff for us, which is why we fight white discomfort every day,” Roger explains as he and Aren gaze upon a distressed white police officer. “The happier they are, the safer we are.”

[embedded content]

It’s a strong statement for a springtime comedy — and he’s taking the reaction to it in stride. “It’s mixed,” Libii says, admitting that he’s definitely been surprised by the sheer volume of feedback to the project.

“We’re a small independent film, and, frankly, I’m just excited people are talking about it,” Libii says. “Many of my peers’ films land with near silence, so the fact that people are paying so much attention to this little piece that we made is a very pleasant surprise.”

It’s also a sign of the times that a movie like “The American Society of Magical Negroes” is getting a wide release from a major studio.

“How many years ago does this film not get made?” Libii wonders. “Definitely 10. Probably five. I feel like extraordinarily fortunate to be living in this time where filmmakers could tell these complex stories.”

He explains: “There’s such an appetite and a vibrant, passionate audience for Black stories about race and racism. And a passionate audience for Black stories have nothing to do with that. I’m just excited for a hopeful future day, when there are so many of us telling stories that that I don’t have that sense of scarcity. Where I don’t feel like there’s only a couple of these that get told every year. That’s the fantasy and hopefully we’ll get there.”

Here, Libii addresses some of the film’s most controversial elements and why, upon further inspection, they might not be so relatable than you’d think.

Justice workshopped this script with you during the Sundance labs. What did you two bond over?

He just really understood the defense mechanism. Being friendly, trying to assimilate — those those strategies and how seductive they can be, even if they’re not ultimately effective or positive for us. As a writer-director, when you meet someone who like instantly gets the character, you’re like, “Oh, great, this is just going to be so much easier.” You don’t have to get on the same page; you can just find by new levels to it.

The character of Aren, and Justice by proxy, essentially act as an avatar for your experience. There have been criticisms from potential audience members about you making this movie as a biracial creator. What has that experience been like?

It’s one of those things where you get the good with the bad. There’s a tremendous amount of privilege I have because of my skin. Because I had a white mother who could go into my school, and yell at the guidance counselors when they did racist shit to me. There’s a literal privilege that I have benefited from, and my peers that don’t have that privilege have not. And also it sucks to have stuff be assumed about you because of who you are.

One of the ironies is that this piece is about proximity to whiteness, and what that does to you, and the advantages and dangers of that. So I’m trying to write and make tell stories that are really incredibly specific and authentic to my experience, and part of that is trying to reflect the privilege that I have by being light-skinned and being biracial.

It’s part of why I made the choice to cast Justice specifically, to reflect that I know my relationship to whiteness and white people is different. It’s really important to be precise and not pretend that my experience moving through the world is the same as a Black person who is a different shade than I am. Mine is very much a Black experience, even if it’s a different kind of Black experience, but I want to be really authentic about that and I hope people can appreciate that.

This movie intends to be both a critical racial satire and also a love story. As you started writing and evolving this piece, how did you weave those two narratives together?

There are two answers to that. One is that it’s partially about protagonism and what it looks like in movies. The thing about protagonism for cis male characters is that it’s about “getting the girl.” That is a really potent symbol of centrality and protagonism in movie history. That’s the sort of like heavy author answer.

The heart and soul real reason I did it is that it’s a movie about being reduced and being seen as less than you are. To me, the opposite of that is being seen by someone who loves you. Because of what it means to be magical negro, what it means to live in America, seen as a stereotype, thinly-sliced, regarded as a little fraction of yourself — when someone who really loves you, they see all of you. They see details. To feel seen by a partner is one of the most beautiful experiences.

After a movie that’s so much about being reduced, to feel seen and held is really positive and nourishing going forward, but it also clarifies how troubling that white gaze is. When you put the idea of what it’s like when a person really sees and understands you right next to being stereotyped, it sharpens the critique of that reductive gaze.

Let’s talk about An-Li Bogan, who plays Lizzie, who is a relative newcomer. How did you find her?

She auditioned and was really superb. Whenever you’re casting a love story, it’s also about chemistry and when she sat down with Justice, it was like, “Oh, I believe these two characters are in love.

I wanted that character to be a non-Black woman of color. Black love stories are so beautiful and so important and I really hope I get to tell a story that centers one because I believe that there’s really crucial political work in that kind of representation.

The work that I was trying to do with this film, in part, was to quite deliberately be better than magical Negro authors. Their main failing was not really thinking about the experience of other marginalized people. A white writer is not really thinking through what it means to be a Black person; he’s just thinking about his own relationship to the idea of Blackness.

It wanted to not just think through what my experience as a Black person had been, but also about the different, but related ways that other people of color, especially women of color, are impacted by systemic racism too. And to try to have an empathy for those related but different struggles in a way that the magical Negro authors didn’t. That was a choice in support of Black people in the Black community because we have to be working together because the systemic problems we’re up against are the same — even if the way Black people suffer under white supremacy is different than the way that an Asian American woman suffers under white supremacy. That intersectional coalition of us fighting that is part of what my ambition was.

I also want to talk about colorism really explicitly. There’s a real value of portraying darker-skinned people of all races, but I deliberately cast fairer skinned people of color in Justice and An-Li for a reason, which is that this movie is about the false promise of assimilation. Casting people that should be able to quote-unquote “assimilate easier” and have that proximity to whiteness sharpens the critique of assimilation, when you watch them not be able to. That is to say, even someone as light-skinned as Justice or a woman of color like An-Li can’t assimilate in this culture. I think when you see that, there’s a power to it and it sharpens the critique of this as a survival strategy.

To put it in blunt terms: complying with the officer’s orders will not keep you safe. And that is an argument you still hear from certain segments of America. There is a suggestion that if we just behaved differently, if we just assimilated harder, all of these problems would go away for us. I just think that is a dangerous lie.

So, showing people of color with the greatest proximity to whiteness, still not being allowed into the full benefits of white privilege was a deliberate choice.

That argument doesn’t just come from white people; it comes from people of color as well.

There is that hope in some conservative corners of our community, like, “Oh, maybe we can keep ourselves safe with a survival strategies like this.” Obviously, I don’t agree with that, but it’s seductive, and I understand that.

That’s why the discourse about the movie within our community is particularly interesting. Do you hope to assuage Black people’s fears when they watch the film?

I made a movie about “magical negroes.” I also have a deep suspicion of Hollywood. I really, really understand being a Black person and seeing a trailer for a film and being deeply suspicious that there’s some more racist bullshit is coming down the pike. Of course, it’s reasonable to think that some terrible cartoon of the studio executive is doing more terrible, racist things and slapping your face on it.

Part of what you hear in this conversation is both the absolute deep hope from the Black community that there will be good Black art — there’s a real yearning for that and a palpable frustration and anger when what feels like very, the very few chances for Black art to be made at a high level aren’t handled as thoughtfully as they could be.

There’s a real passion and an appetite for that, and a real suspicion that it’s going to be mishandled, so I really do get having an eyebrow raised.

How has this project shaped this version of Kobi?

So much of this piece is about the request to be really seen and heard. That’s one of the most nourishing things when it happens to you, and it’s not as easy to do for other people as I would like to think it is. So I feel like the sort of natural extension of this piece in some ways is to try to be consider people more closely and more empathetically around me and hope that hope that I can do that and that the America can sort of increasingly do that to me in return.

Going into the Sundance screening, is there anything else you want people to know about the film?

My great hope is that people just sit down and watch it — as opposed to what they expected it to be or what they hoped it would be or what they’re afraid it’s going to be — and just see what it is. Then think whatever you think about it and feel about it. I believe there’s a lot to get out of it.

Writer-director Kobi Libii (right) with director of photography Doug Emmett and Justice Smith on the set of “The American Society of Magical Negroes.” Tobin Yelland / Focus Features

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment