Miami, Feb. 19, 2021 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Book Fair (MBF) will host a virtual conversation on the past, present and future of Black communities at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, author Dr. Yanela McLeod, educator Kalyn Lee and Teri Williams of OneUnited. Moderated by Nancy Acrum, the Miami Herald’s editorial page editor, this event is free and open to the public.
Miami Book Fair seeks to focus on the County’s past as a means to understand the present and position the community for a better future. The conversation will bring together an esteemed panel of influencers to discuss race, wealth and equity, including our Black community’s access to quality health care, affordable housing and quality education. Together they will explore our history, but more importantly, discuss the future. What concrete steps can we all take, supported by the county government, to ensure a future that fully includes and supports Black communities and where Black residents can find themselves at the center of decision-making? The public is invited to participate in a Q & A after the panel.
Mayor Levine Cava is Miami-Dade County’s first female mayor. Dr. McLeod is the author of “The Miami Times and the Fight for Equality: Race, Sports and Black Press, 1948 – 1958;” Lee was named 2021 Francisco R. Walker Rookie Teacher of the Year for Miami-Dade County Public Schools; and William is President and COO of OneUnited Bank.
MDC is prioritizing issues of inequity in higher education and taking real steps to bridge the gaps. Most recently, the College launched the groundbreaking Rising Black Scholars program, which will provide Black students graduating from high school in 2021 with free tuition for up to two years of study, creating a coherent academic and career pathway leading to an associate degree and increased earning potential.
Join the event, Miami-Dade County’s Black Communities: History, Present and Future, here.
About Miami Book Fair
Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year-round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Throughout the rest of the year, Miami Book Fair responds hosts an ongoing schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and Read to Learn Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Book Fair programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami Downtown Development Authority; and Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time.
Miami Book Fair contact: Lisa Palley, Palley Promotes, 305-642-3132 lpalley@bellsouth.net.