The 44 Percent: HBCU homecomings, Virginia Key & Buffalo Rangers

Let’s talk about GHOE.

An acronym for greatest homecoming on earth, the term is usually designated for North Carolina A&T. And for all intents and purposes, it made sense.

NCAT’s student enrollment is more than 13,000, making them the largest HBCU in the country. God only knows how large their alumni network is. Few schools could compete when that many people come together to celebrate. That is, until last week.

Spelhouse — Spelman and Morehouse Colleges — had their homecomings last week as did Howard University. That means, to quote JT and Yung Miami, “it’s that season.” My favorite season. Homecoming season.

And all I want for this homecoming season is to reassess how we determine GHOE. Let’s be honest: GHOE can’t be confined to just one school. The title should be rotated from school-to-school and now, after a Drake appearance, Stacey Abrams’ impressive dance moves and a random Angelina Jolie appearance (okay not totally random — her daughter, Zahara, attends Spelman), it’s safe to say Spelhouse truly is GHOE.

But who knows? Both Florida A&M and NCAT have their homecomings this weekend. Who’s to say that FAMU or NCAT won’t snatch back the crown?

For now, however, any shot at the best must come through Atlanta.

INSIDE THE 305

This North Miami group is creating a new generation of cyclists — and they want podiums:

Meet Break the Cycle, a group of Black cyclists focused on changing the dynamics of the sport but also bettering their communities.

I had the pleasure of profiling the group last week and let me tell you, cycling is HARD. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to ride with the cyclists just to get a first person account. Not my brightest idea.

The goal, according to director Maurice Hanks, is to make cycling just as accessible as football or basketball.

Four decades after his death, this Miami soldier is getting a street named after him:

Terrence “Uncle Tee” Smith is a hood hero.

He is from Liberty City. He lives in Liberty City. He owns a restaurant in Liberty City.

His brother, however, does not. That’s because Kirk Smith Sr. was killed in the 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut. Roughly forty years after his death, the city of Miami renamed a portion of Northwest 13th Avenue in honor of Kirk Sr.

Smith is the first person born and raised in Liberty Square, known also as the Pork-n-Beans, to have a street named after him, according to former Miami Commissioner Jeffrey Watson. Opened in 1937, Liberty Square is the oldest public housing project in the Southeastern United States.

Miami’s disrespectful takeover of Virginia Key Beach Trust is sudden — and suspect:

Shoutout the Herald’s editorial board for keeping their foot on Miami’s necks. Just in case you need a reminder, Miami commission voted to take over the board that runs the historic Virginia Key Beach, the only one Black Miamians could visit during the Jim Crow era. Just read this excerpt from the editorial board’s latest piece:

Commissioners’ wholesale dismissal of the majority-Black board of the Virginia Key Trust, only to replace it with one that will have, at most, three Black members out of seven, seems stunningly out of step with the entire premise. To reiterate: It takes away construction oversight for a museum honoring the civil-rights journey of Black people and puts it under the majority control of others.

How is that even something we have to talk about in 2022? It isn’t right. It’s disrespectful. It verges on repeating the indignities imposed on Blacks in the past.

OUTSIDE THE 305

Don’t forget to apply for student loan forgiveness:

Just a simple reminder for all my folks with student loans that the forgiveness application is now up and running. The link can be found here.

HIGH CULTURE

Enough Kanye – let’s talk about the Buffalo Rangers:

After adidas, Gap and several other entities severed ties with the man formerly know as Kanye West, I was going to write about that – until I realized it might be better if he doesn’t get the attention.

Instead, I wanted to alert you to a series about the Buffalo Rangers that just got greenlit. Here’s a little bit about the Buffalo Rangers, courtesy of BET:

The 2nd Rangers consisted of volunteers from other army regiments and were commanded by Black officers. During the Korean War (early 1950s), undermanned and ill-equipped, they participated in the first Ranger combat jump and eventually held off an attack of over a thousand Chinese infantry at Hill 581.

Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.