ON THE COVER

South Florida Remembers Rep. John Lewis and His Message to Vote

In April 2017, U.S. Rep. John Lewis nature made him relatable. The major many people who would do that. It’s a program with captivated a small group of South Florida take-away from meeting him is that we all sacrifice and based on his actions we got Congressman John influencers at the Historic Hampton House have a role to play in social justice. Big or progress for African Americans. For that, I Lewis during the in the Brownsville neighborhood. They small, this kind of justice is our baby, so it’s will always be grateful for what launch of his graphic had gathered there for an invitation-only up to us to nurture it, raise it, and believe he’s done. novel March in Miami. opportunity to meet Lewis and have him in it. That night reaffirmed in me my I was there to share sign his award-winning publication March, unequivocal responsibility to social justice” Dr. Enid C. Pinkney, founding president the story of FMU’s a comic-book style trilogy following his and CEO of the Historic Hampton role in St. Augustine’s lifelong struggle for civil and human rights. William Hobbs IV, music producer House Community Trust, Inc. civil rights struggle, This issue’s cover photo shows an (Tameka Hobbs’ son) “I had nothing but and I was very audience fixated on Lewis as he shared “I really didn’t know admiration for him. excited for the opportunity to occupy stories of his extraordinary life—from an his importance to He was so unselfish. the stage with a civil rights warrior. An Alabama sharecropper’s son to a six-term be quite honest— It was all about the added bonus, however, was that my sons United States Congressman. fighting for civil cause and he wanted and I also had a chance to spend a few Legacy Miami reached out to four rights and everything. to bring young people moments backstage with this American people in attendance that day who reflected Afterwards is when and everybody along. icon. Congressman Lewis was incredibly on Lewis’ message and how he influenced I started to really It’s hard to just find gracious as he signed our books, chatted, them in their respective lives and careers. appreciate the fact somebody who isn’t and posed for pictures with us. It wasn’t that I met him and just trying to promote until Congressman Lewis’s death that Rodney Jacobs, assistant director of got a picture with themselves and can actually get things I realized the impact of our meeting on Miami’s Civilian Investigative Panel him and he signed a book for my brother. done. Even after the [segregation] laws my youngest son, Amiri. He watched “John Lewis is one I do remember when he was making his changed, we were still being discriminated the funeral services and grieved the of those people who speech, he was explaining how when he against. He had to go through all of that Congressman’s death with a level of never need to say a was fighting for civil rights in Alabama to get where he was. It was everything— seriousness I wasn’t expecting from my word in order to feel and getting beaten by the police and how voting, transportation, just about fourteen-year-old. We talked about what their presence when he was jailed 40-plus times and just the everything. Those people were trying to he was feeling, and about the meaning of they enter the room. perseverance needed for making change figure out ways to keep you in your place.” service, and the value of leaving a legacy. The night when I met in America. I thought that was so deep Without a doubt, John Lewis is a hero to him was an electrifying experience for everyone at the event. He stayed late, signed books, and interacted with everyone at the function. His humble because nowadays many people don’t have that ambition. They quit when it gets tough. They wouldn’t go through what he went through at all because who would willingly get beat by the police? I don’t know too Dr. Tameka Hobbs, historian and associate provost at Florida Memorial University “In April 2017, I participated in the us. Our lives would be vastly different without his sacrifice and leadership.” n

IMPORTANT 2020 ELECTION DATES

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PRIMARY ELECTION: AUG. 18 LAST DAY TO REGISTER: JULY 30 EARLY VOTING: AUG. 3-AUG. 16 GENERAL ELECTION: NOV. 3 LAST DAY TO REGISTER: OCT. 5 EARLY VOTING: TBA

LAST DAY TO REQUEST VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT: AUG. 8 VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOTS MUST BE RECEIVED — NOT POSTMARKED — BY THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTION’S OFFICE NO LATER THAN 7 P.M. ON ELECTION DAY.

You can hand deliver Vote-by-Mail ballots to the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections office: 2822 NW 87th Ave. Doral, FL 33172 or STEPHEN P. CLARK CENTER 111 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL 33128 For more information: Iamelectionready.org