The 44 Percent: NFL return, Cookies Miami & FAMU’s LeBron partnership
With the NFL kicking off tonight, I wanted to share some league-related statistics:
• 11 is the number of Black starting quarterbacks in the NFL as of Week 1.
• 71 is the percentage of NFL players of color, according to the NFL’s 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Report.
• 4 is the number of Black NFL head coaches as of Week 1.
• 1 is the number of Black women who have served as team president in NFL history. The Las Vegas Raiders hired Sandra Douglass Morgan in June.
• 5 is the number of Black NFL general managers as of Week 1.
• 2076 is how many days it has been since Colin Kaepernick, who many believe was blackballed from the NFL because of his national anthem protests, last played in an NFL game.
• 0 is the number of Black majority owners in the NFL. The ownership group that recently acquired the Denver Broncos, however, does include Mellody Hobson, Lewis Hamilton and Condoleezza Rice.
INSIDE THE 305
‘A great milestone’: Cookies Miami opening shows challenges in Florida cannabis industry:
Ahead of Cookies Miami’s August opening, I sat down with Cookies CEO Berner and chatted about the challenges of being minority in the cannabis space. Without diving too deep into the weeds, here are a few facts about Florida’s cannabis industry:
Cookies is the only minority-owned brand with a license to distribute medical marijuana in Florida
One license has been specifically designated for Black farmers, however, it has yet to be administered
Companies wanting a medical marijuana license must be vertically integrated, meaning that the license-holder must cultivate, package and distribute the product, something that can cost millions of dollars
After debate citing indoctrination and Nazis, Miami-Dade School Board rejects LGBTQ month:
October will not be recognized as LGBTQ month, the Miami-Dade School Board voted late Wednesday night. The vote will also prevent 12th graders from learning about two landmark LGBTQ cases.
“There is an election year and the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is a tool used by some to spread misinformation,” said board member Lucia Baez Geller. “This is just plain disinformation.”
Baez Geller’s proposal called for recognizing October as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) History Month and teaching 12th graders about two Supreme Court landmark decisions — Obergefell v. Hodges (recognizing same-sex marriage) and Bostock v. Clayton County (finding an employer can’t fire someone for being gay or transgender).
The school board meeting featured appearances by a Proud Boys contingent, tons of parents and some rather heartfelt testimonies.
Maxx Fenning, president and founder of PRISM FL, a nonprofit organization that provides sexual health information to LGBTQ+ youth, likened those who wanted to block the measure to how Nazis ostracized gay people, making them wear a pink badge to reflect their sexual orientation.
“LGBTQ history is American history,’’ he said, noting if he were alive when the Nazis were in power, he would have been forced to wear the pink triangle badge that he wore on his shirt as he spoke.
OUTSIDE THE 305
Obamas White House portraits finally revealed:
After a four-year delay in the unveiling of their White House portraits, the Obamas finally returned Wednesday for the big reveal. It was Michelle Obama, however, whose reflections on her own upbringing really resonated.
“Because a girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolley Madison. She was never supposed to live in this house, and she definitely wasn’t supposed to serve as first lady.
“But I’ve always wondered: Where does that ‘supposed to’ come from? Who determines it? And too often in this country, people feel like they have to look a certain way or act a certain way to fit in, that they have to make a lot of money or come from a certain group or class or faith in order to matter.
“But what we’re looking at today — a portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom — what we are seeing is a reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this country.”
“That is what this country is about,” Obama continued. “It’s not about blood or pedigree or wealth. It’s a place where everyone should have a fair shot.”
New video reveals “fake elector” leading individuals into election office before data breach:
In June, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a Black mother-daughter tandem testified in front of the House Jan. 6 committee about how Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani‘s baseless claims of election fraud led to them receiving death threats.
“I’ve lost my name, and I’ve lost my reputation,” Freeman testified before the Jan. 6 committee. “I’ve lost my sense of security. All because a group of people starting with ‘45’ and his ally, Rudy Giuliani, decided to scapegoat me and my daughter Shaye about how the presidential election was stolen.”
NBC recently obtained surveillance footage that raised questions about the activities of some Trump-linked operatives.
The video shows Cathy Latham, then the GOP chairwoman for Coffee County, escorting several members of forensics firm SullivanStrickler into a county election office on Jan. 7, 2021. State officials are currently investigating an election data breach that occurred in the same county on the same day.
Latham was one of the people who submitted fake Electoral College certification documents to Congress after the 2020 election, falsely declaring Trump the winner in Georgia.
Latham was identified as a target of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation after she submitted false certifications, along with 15 other people, declaring Trump the winner in Georgia after he lost to Joe Biden.
HIGH CULTURE
At Orange Blossom Classic, FAMU LeBron James jerseys showcase growing exposure of HBCUs:
As I wandered around the bowels of Hard Rock Stadium Sunday afternoon, I kept seeing the same thing: Florida A&M No. 6 LeBron James jerseys.
They were literally everywhere. In the parking lot. In the crowd. In line at the concession stand. Literally everywhere.
“It’s cool to see a LeBron FAMU jersey,” said FAMU grad Nate Banks, a green No. 6 plastered across his chest. Banks too noticed the multitude of orange, white and green FAMU jerseys, something he called “monumental.” “I think it’s a game changer for HBCUs because they don’t usually get that recognition from marquee brands.”
Nike and FAMU signed a deal back in March 2021 that made it so James’ logo will appear on the uniforms of all 14 sports programs as well as the Marching 100 band.
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
