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A Look at the 2024 Olympic Schedule and the Black Athletes Competing in Paris

THE AFRO — Take a look at some of the events and athletes you should keep an eye out for as the 19-day event unfolds.
The post A Look at the 2024 Olympic Schedule and the Black Athletes Competing in Paris first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2 years ago

July 29, 2024

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By Special to the Afro | The Afro American Newspaper

The 2024 Paris Olympics are under way and there are multiple athletes across the 32 sports being contested at the Olympic Games that should be on your radar. Take a look at some of the events and athletes you should keep an eye out for as the 19-day event unfolds.

Track and Field – Women

Sha’Carri Richardson

Richardson is in search of redemption as she qualifies for the first Olympics of her young, accomplished career. The 2023 World Champion was ruled ineligible to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to a positive drug test after winning the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials. She admitted to smoking marijauna to help deal with the death of her mother.

Now, after repeating as the U.S. Olympic trials 100-meter dash champion, Richardson will look to claim the gold medal in Paris; something she didn’t even have a chance to do in 2021. As Richardson loves to say, “I’m not back– I’m better.”

Richardson and her two training partners, Melissa Jefferson and TeeTee Terry, made history by becoming the first female training group to sweep an event at an Olympic trial meet. The women were coached by Dennis Mitchell, who will be looking to get the same result in Paris. The only coach to successfully lead his camp in sweeping both the national trials and the Olympics was Jamaican coach Glen Mills. Headlined by track and field legend Usain Bolt, Mills led his camp in sweeping the 200-meter dash at both the Jamaican trials as well as the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The 100-meter dash event begins Aug. 2 at 4:35 a.m. EST, with the event final taking place on Aug. 3 at 3:20 p.m. EST.

The 200-meter dash event begins on Aug. 4 at 4:55 a.m. EST, with the event final taking place on Aug. 6 at 3:40 p.m. EST.

Gabby Thomas

Thomas will look to use her Olympic experience to her advantage as she prepares for the trip to Paris. The 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medalist and 2023 World Championship silver medalist in the 200-meter dash will be looking to continue her strong 2024 outdoor campaign after dropping a world-leading time of 21.78 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Veteran Jamaican sprinter and five-time Olympic medalist Shericka Jackson will challenge Thomas for the gold as she attempts the double (winning both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash). Thomas’ teammate McKenzie Long will also be vying for a spot on the podium. The budding star has captured the hearts of America after the death of her mother. Long was able to channel her grief into motivation, winning the double at the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Outdoor National Championships. She currently has the second fastest 200-meter time in the world right now at 21.83 seconds, according to World Athletics.

The 400-meter hurdles event begins on Aug. 4 at 6:35 a.m. EST, with the event final taking place on Aug. 8 at 3:25 p.m. EST.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

McLaughlin-Levrone looks to continue to be in a class of her own as she prepares for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. McLaughlin-Levrone is already the world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles, lowering the world record she already held to 50.65 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials. The New Jersey native is already in contention for the best track and field athlete of all time, as she is an Olympic champion and a World champion in the 400 meter hurdles before the age of 25. She also currently has the fastest 400-meter dash time and sixth fastest 200-meter dash time in the world right now, but opted to focus solely on the 400-meter hurdles in Paris.

Vying for a podium finish is Anna Cockrell, who will be competing in her second Olympic Games. She finished seventh in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic 400-meter hurdle final, but was eventually disqualified due to a lane error. McLaughlin-Levrone’s stiffest competition will come from Dutch superstar Femke Bol. Bol is the world record holder in both the indoor 400-meter dash and the 300 meter hurdles.

The long jump event begins on Aug. 6 at 5:15 a.m. EST, with the event final taking place on Aug. 8 at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Tara Davis-Woodhall

2024 World Indoor champion Davis-Woodhall, 25, looks to claim her first Olympic gold medal in Paris. Davis-Woodhall currently has the second furthest long jump distance in the world at 7.18 meters. Davis-Woodhall’s husband, Hunter Woodhall, will also be competing in 2024 at the Paralympic Games.

Former Florida Gator star Jasmine Moore, 23, made her second consecutive U.S. Olympic team and currently has the third furthest distance in the long jump at 6.98 meters (22 ft., 10.8 in.).

The 100-meter hurdle event begins Aug. 7 at 4:15 a.m. EST, with the event final taking place on Aug. 10 at 1:45 p.m. EST.

Masai Russell

Russell, a Maryland native, currently holds the fastest 100-meter hurdles time in the world at 12.25 seconds. The world-leading time was a breakthrough performance for the 24-year-old. Russell dropped the blazing time in the 100-meter hurdle final at the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, taking home the gold.

The women’s short hurdles are one of the most competitive events in the world right now. Russell will be looking to continue her winning ways against world record holder and 2022 World Champion Tobi Amusan out of Nigeria and the reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn who was born in the United States but competes for Puerto Rico.

Track and Field – Men

Noah Lyles

Lyles will be seeking to do something that only nine other men to grace this planet Earth have ever done – win both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash at the Olympics. The historic Olympic “sprint double” has only been achieved four times since 1984, and three of those were courtesy of one of the greatest sprinters of all time, Usian Bolt. Lyles, the reigning 200-meter World champion, is the favorite in the 200 but the 100-meter dash is very much up for grabs.

Challenging Lyles for gold in the 100-meter dash is Kishane Thompson of Jamaica, reigning Olympic 100-meter champion Lamont Marcel Jacobs and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.

The 100-meter dash event begins Aug. 3 at 4:35 a.m. EST, with the event final taking place on Aug. 4 at 3:50 p.m. EST.

The 110-meter hurdle event begins on Aug. 4 at 5:50 a.m. EST, with the event final taking place on Aug. 8 at 3:45 p.m. EST.

Grant Holloway

Five-time world champion and currently the second fastest man to ever run the short hurdles, Holloway will look to avenge his upset defeat at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Reigning Olympic champion Hansle Parchment will be in the hunt to reclaim his title, while USA’s Daniel Robert will attempt to step out of Holloway’s shadow and have his breakthrough moment in Paris.

The javelin event begins on Aug. 6 at 4:20 a.m. EST, with the event final on Aug. 8 at 2:25 p.m. EST.

Curtis Thompson

Thompson, now a two-time Olympian, will be looking to add an Olympic medal to his résumé. He is already an NCAA champion, a three-time American champion, and won the Pan American Games in 2023. He was the only javelin thrower from the United States to qualify for the Olympics.

India’s Neeraj Chopra will be looking to reclaim his title as Olympic champion in the men’s javelin. Chopra was the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in the javelin.

The shot put event starts on Aug. 2 at 2:10 p.m. EST, and the final takes place on Aug. 3 at 1:35 p.m. EST.

Ryan Crouser

Already regarded as the greatest shot putter of all time, Crouser will be looking to add yet another Olympic gold medal to his illustrious career. The three-time World champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist already holds both the world and Olympic records.

Crouser’s stiffest competition will be fellow American Joe Kovacs. Kovacs defeated Crouser at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, but finished second to Crouser at both the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The mixed 4×400 meter relay event begins on Aug. 2 at 1:10 p.m. EST.

The men’s 4×400 meter relay event begins on Aug. 9 at 5:05 a.m. EST.

The event finals take place on Aug. 3 at 2:44 p.m. EST and Aug. 10 at 3:12 p.m. EST, respectively.

Quincy Wilson

Wilson will look to continue his historic season as the rising junior was named to the relay pool for Team USA. The 16-year-old phenom will have the opportunity to run for either or both the mixed 4×400 meter relay and the men’s 4×400 meter relay. That decision will not be made until the day of the event.

Men’s Olympic basketball games begin on July 27 at 5 a.m. EST.

The bronze medal and gold medal games begin on Aug. 10 at 5 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. EST, respectively.

Men’s Basketball – Team USA

The 2024 roster for Team USA Basketball appears to be one of the most talented teams in Olympic history, being challenged only by the 1992 Dream Team and the 2008 Redeem Team. Highlighted by LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards, this team will look to prove to Noah Lyles and others that they are truly the best team in the world. Big additions to Team USA include Stephen Curry, who is surprisingly playing for Team USA for the first time ever, and 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid. James was awarded the honor of being Team USA’s flag bearer, making him the first male American basketball player with that distinction in Olympic history. Women’s National Basketball Association superstars Dawn Staley (currently head coach of the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks) and Sue Bird have previously been flag bearers for Team USA.

The group has a tough challenge ahead of them, however, as many believe that the basketball talent around the world is beginning to catch up with the Americans. Team USA’s biggest challenger will likely be Canada, sporting a roster that includes First Team All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillion Brooks. This is also believed to be the last Olympics for both James and Durant.

*Derrick White has replaced Kawhi Leonard.

Men’s 3×3 Basketball – Team USA

3×3 basketball officially became an Olympic sport in 2017 and was contested for the first time at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Latvia took home the gold at the last Olympics, but Team USA will be looking for better fortune this time around.

The 3×3 roster is led by former NBA sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette and 3×3 veteran Kareem Maddox. Maddox, a Princeton grad, won Ivy League defensive player of the year honors back in 2011 and was a part of the 2019 FIBA 3×3 World Cup team that won gold in Amsterdam. He also holds two gold medals from the Pan American Games from both 2019 and 2023.

Men’s Olympic 3×3 basketball games begin on July 30 at 12:35 p.m. EST

The gold medal and bronze medal game will take place on Aug. 5 at 4:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. EST, respectively.

Women’s Gymnastics

The USAs Women’s Gymnastics team is set to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics where you will be able to watch the top US gymnasts like Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera. Biles is definitely someone to keep an eye on this summer as she has taken home over 30 Olympic and World medals. She is sure to make history as she makes her way to Paris.

The women’s gymnastics event begins on July 28 at 3:30 a.m. EST. The event final will take place on Aug. 6 at 6:38 a.m. EST.

Jessica Stevens

Olympic athlete Jessica Stevens was born July 5, 2000 in Ellicott City, Md. She is in the 2024 Olympics for synchronized trampoline gymnastics and has her eyes on the gold this year. Stevens has a total of four world championship medals and earned a gold medal in 2023 for synchronized gymnastics during the Pan American Games.

Women’s Basketball

Team USA’s Women’s Basketball team is making history right now. The team has earned seven Olympic medals back to back. Their first match up will begin July 29. In Paris, they are set to play a number of teams that are in their equal group (group C) including Germany, Japan, and Belgium. To win gold, the Americans must advance from a team of 4 groups where they will then have to take home 3 consecutive wins in the knockout round. There is a multitude of talent on this year’s roster including A’ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, Kelsey Plum, Alyssa Thomas and more.

Games begin on July 29 at 7:30 a.m. EST, with the gold medal and bronze medal games taking place on Aug. 11 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. EST, respectively.

Women’s Soccer

Team USA’s Women’s Soccer team is headed to Paris with a roster filled up with 18 talented women. The team is now led by new head coach Emma Hayes, and she is ready and eager to fight for this year’s gold medal. The women’s team had a heartbreaking loss as the team had to exit the World Cup in 2023 unexpectedly. The opening ceremony took place on Friday, July 26, but the team had their first match on July 25 against Zambia. They will play against Germany on July 28 and face off against Australia on July 31. The quarter-finals will begin Aug. 3.

Games begin on July 25 at 11 a.m. EST, with the bronze medal match taking place on Aug. 9 at 9 a.m. EST and the gold medal match on Aug. 10 at 11 a.m. EST.

Tennis

Team USA’s Olympic tennis team’s first tournament is set to begin July 27 to Aug. 4 in the Roland Garros on the red clay courts. This will be the first time Olympic tennis will be playing on the clay courts since 1992. Tennis was one of the nine original Olympic sports at the very first games in Athens in 1896. The team consists of gold medalists Coco Guaff, Jessica Pegula, Dannielle Collins, and Emma Navarro in singles. Desirae Krawczyk will be participating in the doubles round.

The games begin on July 27 at 6 a.m. EST, with the women’s singles gold medal match taking place on Aug. 3 at 6 a.m. EST. The women’s double gold medal match and single bronze medal match will take place on Aug. 4 at 6 a.m. EST.

Five other Olympic athletes to keep an eye on:

Jahmal Harvey – Boxing

Jahmal Harvey, 21, was born November 19, 2002, in Oxon Hill, Md. Harvey is an Olympic boxer who is looking to bring the gold in Paris, back home. This is Harvey’s first time as an Olympic athlete, but he has some experience with participating in the Pan American Games back in 2023, in which he won gold. Harvey will be entering the 125-pound weight class in the Paris 2024 Olympics and is currently ranked No. 2 in the amateur featherweight category.

Tatiana Nazlymov – Fencing

Tatiana Nazlymoz, 19, was born Sept. 2, 2004 in Montgomery County, Md. She currently attends Princeton University as a sophomore. Nazlymoz competes in the Paris 2024 Olympic games for fencing and acclaims her fencing career to her father and grandfather, who were fencers as well. Nazlymov has some world championship experience as she competed with the women’s saber team in the Pan-American senior championships and won gold, but this will be her first time on an Olympic team.

Aaron Russel – Volleyball

Aaron Russel is a two-time Olympic athlete born in Baltimore. The 6’9” volleyball player who played at Pennsylvania State University is now going for the gold in the Paris 2024 Olympic games. Russel is pursuing to level up his bronze medal from the Rio 2016 Olympics to gold. Russel also plays club volleyball here in Maryland under former gold medalist Aldis Berzins.

Taylor Knibb – Triathlon

Taylor Knibb, a Washington, DC native, is competing in the Paris 2024 triathlon. Knibbs competed in the 2020 Olympics, where she won silver in the mixed relay, and is now making her way to Paris for gold.

Carl Nickolas Jr. – Taekwondo

Carl (CJ) Nickolas Jr. is a 23-year-old American taekwondo practitioner hailing from Oakland, Calif. Nickolas is a three-time Pan American Games gold medallist and won a silver medal at the World Championships in 2023. Nickolas is currently ranked as the second-best fighter in his weight category of 80 kilograms (176 pounds).

The post A Look at the 2024 Olympic Schedule and the Black Athletes Competing in Paris first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Black Artists in America, Installation Three Wraps at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens

TRI-STATE DEFENDER — With 50+ paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the exhibit features artists like Varnette Honeywood from Los Angeles, whose pieces appeared in Bill Coby’s private collection (before they were auctioned off) and on “The Cosby Show.” Also included are works by Alonzo Davis, another Los Angeles artist who opened one of the first galleries there where Black Artists could exhibit.

Published

4 days ago

March 24, 2026

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By Candace A. Gray | Tri-State Defender

The tulips gleefully greet those who enter the gates at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens on an almost spring day. More than 650,000 bulbs of various hues are currently on display. And they are truly breathtaking.

Inside the gallery, and equally as breathtaking, is the “Black Artists in America, From the Bicentennial to September 11” exhibit, which runs through Sunday, March 29. This is the third installment of a three-part series that started years ago and illustrates part of the Black experience through visual arts in the 20th century.

“This story picks up where part two left off,’’ said Kevin Sharp, the Linda W. and S. Herbert Rhea director for the Dixon. “This era is when we really start to see the emergence of these important Black artists’ agency and freedom shine through. They start to say and express what they want to, and it was a really beautiful time.”

With 50+ paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the exhibit features artists like Varnette Honeywood from Los Angeles, whose pieces appeared in Bill Coby’s private collection (before they were auctioned off) and on “The Cosby Show.” Also included are works by Alonzo Davis, another Los Angeles artist who opened one of the first galleries there where Black Artists could exhibit.

“Though [Davis] was from LA, he actually lived in Memphis for a decade,” said Sharp. “He was a dean at Memphis College of Art, and later opened the first gallery in New York owned and operated by black curators.”

Another featured artist is former NFL player, Ernie Barnes. His work is distinctive. Where have you seen one of his most popular paintings, Sugar Shack? On the end scene and credits of the hit show “Good Times.” His piece Saturday Night, Durham, North Carolina, 1974 is in this collection.

Memphis native James Little’s “The War Baby: The Triptych” is among more than 50 works featured in “Black Artists in America, From the Bicentennial to September 11” at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, the final installment of a three-part series highlighting the impact and evolution of Black artists through 2011.

The exhibit features other artists with Memphis ties, including abstract painter James Little, who was raised in a segregated Memphis and attended Memphis Academy of Art (before it was Memphis College of Art). He later moved to New York, became a teacher and an internationally acclaimed fixture in the art world in 2022 when he was named a Whitney Biennial selected artist at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Other artists like Romare Bearden, who had a Southern experience but lived up North, were featured in all three installments.

“During this period of time, he was a major figure,” said Sharp. “He wrote one of the first books on the history of African American art during a time when there were more Black academics, art teachers, more Black everything!”

Speaking of Black educators, Sharp said the head curator behind this tri-part series and Dixon’s partner in the arts is Earnestine Jenkins, Ph.D., an art history professor at the University of Memphis, who also earned a Master of Arts degree from Memphis State University (now UofM). “We began working with Dr. Jenkins in 2018,” he said.

Sharp explained that it takes a team of curators, registrars, counterparts at other museums, and more, about three years to assemble an exhibit like this. It came together quite seamlessly, he added. Each room conjured up more jaw-dropping “wows” than the one before it. Each piece worked with the others to tell the story of Black people and their collective experience during this time period.

One of the last artists about whom Sharp shared information was Bettye Saar, who will turn 100 years old this year. She’s been working in Los Angeles for 80 years and is finally getting her due. Her medium is collages or assemblages, and an incredible work of hers is on display. She’s married to an artist and has two daughters, also artists.

The exhibit catalogue bears some of these artists’ stories, among other scholarly information.

The exhibit, presented by the Joe Orgill Family Fund for Exhibitions, is culturally and colorfully rich. It is a must see and admission to the Dixon is free.

Visit https://www.dixon.org/ to learn more.

Fun Facts: An original James Little design lives in the flooring of the basketball court at Tom Lee Park, and he makes and mixes his own paint colors.

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Grief, Advocacy, and Education: A Counselor Reflects on Black Maternal Health

SAN DIEGO VOICE & VIEWPOINT — Last month healthcare leaders, birth workers, and community members gathered to honor the legacy of Charleston native Dr. Janell Green Smith, a nurse-midwife and doctor of nursing practice who died in January from childbirth complications. She had participated in more than 300 births and specialized in helping Black women give birth safely.

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4 days ago

March 24, 2026

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By Jennifer Porter Gore | Word-In-Black | San Diego Voice and Viewpoint

In 2024, the number of U.S. mothers who died as a result of pregnancy or childbirth dropped compared to 2023. But while slightly fewer Black mothers died that year, they still had three times the mortality rate of white women.

South Carolina’s rates of maternal deaths outpaced even the national rates. In fact, the state’s overall rate of maternal deaths between 2019 and 2023 was higher than all but eight states and the District of Columbia.

Last month healthcare leaders, birth workers, and community members gathered to honor the legacy of Charleston native Dr. Janell Green Smith, a nurse-midwife and doctor of nursing practice who died in January from childbirth complications. She had participated in more than 300 births and specialized in helping Black women give birth safely.

Her death shocked the community and her colleagues who are determined to address concerns about Black maternal health. The event also covered the importance of protecting mental health during grief and of men’s role in solving the maternal health crisis.

As both a therapist and a father, Lawrence Lovell, a licensed professional counselor and founder of Breakthrough Solutions, discussed ways the event’s attendees could process their grief over Green Smith’s death. He also shared ways male partners can advocate for women’s maternal health during pregnancy and childbirth.

Lovell spoke not just as a therapist but also as a father whose own family had briefly crossed paths with Green Smith. The event, he said, emerged organically from a moment of collective mourning.

Despite the grief, “it was still, like, a really beautiful event, a much-needed event, and it almost felt like we were all giving each other a collective family hug,” says Lovell.

His connection to Green Smith, Lovell says, was brief but meaningful during his wife’s pregnancy with their second child. Green Smith was practicing at the same birthing center where they had their child. She began practicing in Greenville a short time later.Even that short connection carried significance for Lovell, given the small number of Black maternal health professionals.

Lovell did not initially plan to become a mental health practitioner; he chose the career path after graduating from college, when someone suggested he consider psychology. His interest deepened when he noticed how few Black men work in mental health.

“Being Black man and playing football in college, there weren’t a lot of people that look like me talking about mental health,” says Lovell. “[I wanted] to give people that look like me an opportunity to work with someone that looks like them.”

Working with Expectant and New Parents

Lovell often counsels couples preparing for parenthood by, helping partners understand what a successful pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery look like. That often means helping women manage postpartum depression.

As a man, Lovell says, it’s “humbling” that a woman “just trusts me enough to work with me through their pregnancy or their postpartum recovery.”

In his work, Lovell has noticed how few men understand pregnancy before they experience it with their partner. Because early pregnancy symptoms are often invisible, he says, men may underestimate how much support a mom-to-be actually needs.

“Sometimes they may not realize they don’t know much about pregnancy and what to expect in those three trimesters,” Lovell says. “I tell a lot of the men that just because you can’t see [she’s pregnant] doesn’t mean that she won’t appreciate your intense support in that first trimester.”

Education about pregnancy and postpartum recovery, he says, can change how men support their partners.

Teaching Advocacy in the Delivery Room

Another major focus of Lovell’s counseling is preparing men to advocate for mothers during labor.

“Helping men understand what pregnancy looks like: what delivery is going to look like, and what are the realistic expectations that I should have of myself in postpartum,” he says.

Lovell encourages partners to be honest about their expectations for what will happen during delivery. He helps them prepare for the big day by discussing the birth plan and knowing how to quickly recognize problems. Clear communication, he says, prevents misunderstandings.

He regularly trains men to ask their partners detailed questions about their expectations during and after pregnancy. Advocacy in medical settings can be especially important and requires attention to details the mother may not be able to address.

“It’s always important to fine-tune things and truly understand what helps your partner feel most supported,” Lovell says. “Instead of guessing, you should ask.”

Lovell recalls a moment during the birth of his first child when he had to take that role.

During the delivery, “I felt like something wasn’t as sanitary as I’d like it to be,” he says. “I asked, ‘Hey, can you switch those out? Can you change your gloves?’”

Lovell has a succinct but powerful message he regularly shares with clients’ families, and he shared it with attendees at last month’s event.

“Just to believe women,” he says. “I’ve worked with different couples, and sometimes I’m not really sure that there’s enough empathy from the men.”

That includes how women express pain.

“If a woman says, ‘my pain is at a nine,’ just because how you would express yourself at a nine is different than how she’s expressing herself at [that level] doesn’t mean you shouldn’t believe her,” he says.

Empathy, he says, can change outcomes far beyond the delivery room.

“We’ve got to believe women when they’re talking about their experiences and their feelings and their pain,” he says. “I think there’s a lot that we can prevent if we empathize better.”

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Future of Florida’s Black History Museum in Limbo

JACKSONVILLE FREE PRESS — A proposal sponsored by Tom Leek, a Republican from Ormond Beach, has now passed the Senate in back-to-back legislative sessions. But the House version, filed by Kiyan Michael, a Jacksonville Republican, did not receive final approval in either year, effectively stalling the effort.

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4 days ago

March 24, 2026

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Jacksonville Free Press

Plans to establish a long-awaited Black history museum in Florida are once again on hold after legislation needed to advance the project failed to clear the state House for a second consecutive year, despite repeated approval in the Senate.

A proposal sponsored by Tom Leek, a Republican from Ormond Beach, has now passed the Senate in back-to-back legislative sessions. But the House version, filed by Kiyan Michael, a Jacksonville Republican, did not receive final approval in either year, effectively stalling the effort.

Under Florida law, identical or similar bills must pass both chambers before heading to the governor’s desk. Without House approval, the legislation has been unable to move forward, leaving the project in limbo. Long journey, contested location.

The proposed museum, formally known as the Florida Museum of Black History, has been years in the making, with lawmakers and community leaders framing it as a long-overdue institution to preserve and showcase the state’s African American heritage .A central point of contention has been the museum’s location. St. Augustine — widely recognized as the nation’s oldest city and a site deeply tied to both slavery and early Black history — emerged as the leading contender. Supporters argue the city’s historical significance makes it a natural home for the museum. However, competing interests and regional considerations have fueled debate, slowing consensus among lawmakers.

While the Senate-backed measure has consistently advanced, the lack of alignment in the House has underscored ongoing divisions about how and where the project should take shape.

The holdup in the Florida House appears to be less about opposition to the museum itself and more about a combination of procedural bottlenecks, unresolved structural issues, and lingering disagreements over how the project should be formalized and governed.

Despite the legislative setbacks, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has publicly voiced support for the museum. Speaking last month during the unveiling of a statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass in St. Augustine, DeSantis said the project would move forward “one way or another,” signaling an intent to see the museum built regardless of legislative hurdles.

The anticipated museum has already cleared several hurdles. St. Johns County signed an agreement last year with Florida Memorial University to use the land that once housed its campus last year’s legislative session netted $1 million in funding for St. Johns County to work on planning and design for the museum. However, its anticipated that a million $3 million is needed.

Still, without statutory approval to finalize key components — including governance, funding mechanisms and site selection — the project remains largely conceptual.
With the House bill failing again, the timeline for the museum’s development is unclear. Lawmakers could revisit the proposal in the next legislative session, but any further delays risk pushing the project back several more years. Advocates warn that continued inaction could stall momentum for a museum many see as critical to telling a fuller, more accurate story of Florida’s past. For now, the effort remains paused — caught between political support at the top and legislative gridlock within the Capitol.