The 44 Percent: Midterms, Black Restaurant Week & IDK

C. Isaiah Smalls II

You know that Spongebob meme of buddy looking real exhausted?

Yeah that’s where we are right now. Midterm elections just have a habit of draining the life out of you. And with a governor’s mansion, senate seat and a few representative seats up for grabs, Florida’s midterms were even more stressful.

So for the sake of my sanity, I’ll just hyperlink to a few stories that can help you better understand the importance of voting, what this election meant and, if you live and/or care about Miami-Dade’s voter breakdown (you should — it might be a preview of the rest of the country come 2024), how the county voted.

INSIDE THE 305

Former FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg resigned in 2022 amid allegations that he made unwanted advances at a young female employee.
Former FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg resigned in 2022 amid allegations that he made unwanted advances at a young female employee.

‘A terrible message’ for women: Hispanic, Black faculty protest Rosenberg’s return to FIU:

Black and Hispanic professors at Florida International University criticized the institution for allowing former President Mark Rosenberg to return and teach a spring course. Rosenberg resigned in late January after allegations that he made unwanted advances toward a female colleague.

“While we firmly believe in second chances, we do not feel enough has been done to address the underlying concerns that led to Dr. Rosenberg’s departure, and his return sends a terrible message to those who have experienced harassment,” the Black Faculty Association wrote in its Oct. 31 missive. “It gives the perception that he is being rewarded, especially considering his salary in comparison to other tenured faculty.”

Both the Black and Hispanic Faculty Associations also took issue with his $376,933 annual salary. Tenured professors in FIU’s Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, where Rosenberg will teach, make roughly $153,142 a year, or less than half of the former presidents’ mark.

Nicole Gates and Karim Bryant, co-owners of Lil Greenhouse Grill in Overtown, have been invited to participate in the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. For years Black restaurant owners and local?s had complained the festival failed to include them, that the festival marketed itself as an event made for and directed at whites. on Wednesday, February 16, 2022.

Black Restaurant Week - Florida is here:

Tomorrow kicks off Black Restaurant Week in Florida. Started in Houston in 2016, Black Restaurant Week gives Black-owned businesses the exposure necessary to compete with eateries with far superior budgets. The experience has since spread east to Florida and will take place between Friday, Nov. 11 and Sunday, Nov. 20.

OUTSIDE THE 305

“The Second,” written by Emory University Prof. Carol Anderson, says that the Second Amendment was one of several elements in the Consitutiion that protected slavery and slave owners.
“The Second,” written by Emory University Prof. Carol Anderson, says that the Second Amendment was one of several elements in the Consitutiion that protected slavery and slave owners.

Slavery? On the ballot? In 2022?:

Here’s today’s historical fact: five states had slavery on the ballot.

No seriously, four states – Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont – voted to stop the use of slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. Louisiana rejected the ballot measure after voters and lawmakers objected to its obscure language that didn’t outright ban forced prison labor.

“I believed that the people would choose freedom over slavery, if we gave them the opportunity, by taking the slavery question away from the legislators and putting it into the hands of the people. And they proved us right,” Max Parthas, campaigns coordinator for the Abolish Slavery National Network, told the Associated Press.

The statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general who fought in defense of slavery, is removed from its pedestal in Richmond, Virginia.
The statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general who fought in defense of slavery, is removed from its pedestal in Richmond, Virginia.

80+ schools drop racist namesakes:

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, hundreds of Confederate statues fell across the country. Now it seems like the education system has caught up.

More than 80 public schools across the United States chose to drop their namesakes in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, citing the individuals’ racist acts, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal data.

“It’s all part of this power struggle around the schoolhouse,” said Hilary Green, the James B. Duke Professor of Africana Studies at Davidson College. She studies Confederate monument removal and school renaming trends. Green said she expects the country will continue to see an uptick in the number of schools abandoning racist namesakes.

Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s name was removed from 17 schools; fellow confederate general Stonewall Jackson from eight schools; and Confederate president Jefferson Davis from four.

HIGH CULTURE

IDK attends the Givenchy Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 06, 2022 in Paris, France. Photo by Laurent Zabulon/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)
IDK attends the Givenchy Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 06, 2022 in Paris, France. Photo by Laurent Zabulon/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)

Some IDK love on this beautiful Thursday:

When I saw IDK in concert a few weeks back in Miami, I had no clue what to expect. It had been more than a year since I had last seen him at Rolling Loud 2021 where he rocked the crowd with an array of hits from “USEE4YOURSELF.” His latest offering, however, in “Simple.” is drastically different from past projects thanks to the Kaytranada production.

But the minute I saw the crowd react to “Dog Food,” one of the 2022 project’s standout tracks, I knew he had everything under control. I soon found myself wondering why don’t more people know about this guy.

Here are three songs that showcase IDK’s artistry: “December,” “Pradabang” and “Dog Food.”

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

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