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Miami Grand Prix 2023

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The only Black man to have raced in Formula 1, British driver Lewis Hamilton, 38, has won more and been the fastest qualifier more times than any other driver, triggering racist social-media diatribes from motorsports fans used to their Nomex-clad heroes being White-only.
The post Miami Grand Prix 2023 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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5 months ago

May 10, 2023

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – Chattering happily, rocking garb worn to ward off an unrelenting South Florida sun, scores of Black faithful exuberantly trudge toward their place of Sunday worship – Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

The 20 helmeted deities to be exalted this afternoon probably couldn’t toss a perfect spiral if their lives depended on it, and their average weight is a dinky 148 pounds. But they drive the hell out of nimble, 1,000-horsepower winged cars better than anyone on the planet, and are led by a Black high priest whose seven world championships and 103 career victories make him the hands-down G.O.A.T.

Welcome to the Formula 1 Crypto.Com Miami Grand Prix 2023, the fifth round of a traveling circus that will hit 24 global racing venues this year and is viewed as the pinnacle of motorsport. Formula 1’s irrepressible Black king, British driver Lewis Hamilton, 38, has drawn the sport’s ire for speaking truth to power, to include kneeling atop racetracks while clad in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, to protest the police executions of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The only Black man to have raced in Formula 1, Hamilton has won more and been the fastest qualifier more times than any other driver, triggering racist social-media diatribes from motorsports fans used to their Nomex-clad heroes being White-only.

The only Formula 1 icon with 103 wins and 103 pole positions, Hamilton was victimized by an inexplicable, last-second rules change during the last lap of the last race of 2021, which was held in Abu Dhabi. As a result, Hamilton, who entered Formula 1 in 2007 and currently drives for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team, was controversially deprived of a chance to win a record-setting eighth world championship.

His otherworldly talent, off-track fashionista flair, and even his affluence (Forbes says Hamilton raked in $55 million in 2022, excluding endorsements), spurred a noticeable Black presence among the more than 270,000 fans who attended three days of Miami Grand Prix festivities May 5, 6 and 7. Easily half of the melanated faces in the crowd were crowned by baseball caps emblazoned with Mercedes’ distinctive tri-star logo.

Without Hamilton in the field, it’s doubtful there would have been pre-race pageantry featuring Venus and Serena Williams standing near the start/finish line of a twisty, makeshift 3.36-mile asphalt track winding around Hard Rock Stadium. The Williams sisters smiled appreciatively as showman LL Cool J bombastically introduced each of the contest’s 20 drivers, while will.i.am theatrically led a string orchestra providing background music.

The Miami Grand Prix is more than a contest where cars routinely hit 210 mph while traversing a 19-turn course lined by unforgiving concrete barriers. It’s part sporting event, part over-the-top party leavened with plenty of palm trees, more celebs than you can shake a stick at, blaring reggaeton and sumptuous food and drink prepared by worldclass chefs and mixologists.

Moko, a colorfully dressed native of Senegal who’s traveling to each of Formula 1’s 24 races in 2023, wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I look at Formula 1 like art, in a way,” says Moko, who idolizes Juan Manuel Fangio, a charismatic Argentinian driver who seized the world championship in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957, before Moko was born. “I like the duality between the machine and the human being.

“It’s hard to explain, but I’m going to give it to you the African way — it’s like you’re dancing with the woman you love, and if you don’t dance right, the woman can kill you,” Moko laughs. “And the woman is the car!”

As for the financial impact of the Miami Grand Prix, where $100 earns you the privilege of strolling around the sprawling Miami International Autodrome campus for a single day, without getting a place to sit, Moko shrugs. “If you love something and you can afford it, why not?”

Unlike Moko, saxophone player Bismarck Morgan traveled only 60 miles from West Palm Beach. “I think there’s a great atmosphere here, and I think it’s important for people to come and make a decision for themselves,” Morgan says. “You get in and it’s a very wonderful and beautiful atmosphere. It’s easy to sit on the outside of something and have an opinion of it, but when you get there, it’s actually a beautiful place.

“There are plenty of people from around the world here, people of color from India, Dubai. It’s a beautiful thing, and I love the sound of race cars, I love the revving of the engines. It gets your blood flowing.”

Lewis Hamilton, who drives a W14 Mercedes-AMG road rocket propelled by a 1.6-liter, V6 engine and an electric motor hooked to a rechargeable battery, has noticed a change in the hue of Grand Prix crowds since he joined the Grand Prix circuit 16 years ago.

“For the first five or ten years or so, I didn’t see many people of color in the grandstands,” says Hamilton, whose Mercedes-AMG Petronas team has an annual budget exceeding $300 million. “There were very few people of color. It was not as diverse as I might have hoped.”

However, Hamilton is now “seeing a crowd that’s more diverse. That’s amazing to me to not be the only one there, which is nice to see. And it’s just great to be seeing that we’re tapping into those different cultures, those different communities, who perhaps once didn’t think (Formula 1 racing) was for them. “Because they didn’t see someone that looked like them in the sport, maybe.”

Just as Tiger Woods’ soul-crushing dominance drew more Black fans to golf tournaments, Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning campaigns in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 have lured new eyeballs to Formula 1.

So has the Netflix series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” which New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips and his wife, pediatrician Camille Phillips, credit with attracting them to Miami Gardens to see Hamilton drive.

The couple watched Hamilton hustle his underperforming W14 Mercedes from 13^th on the grid to a 6th-^–place finish. Hamilton says that despite having subpar equipment this year, and finishing the Miami Grand Prix fourth in the driver standings with 56 points, compared with 119 for first-place Dutchman Max Verstappen, Hamilton will be back in 2024 and beyond.

Adrian and Camille Phillips say you can count them in, too.

The post Miami Grand Prix 2023 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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WATCH LIVE! — NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Welcome to the NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception
The post WATCH LIVE! — NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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1 week ago

September 22, 2023

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The post WATCH LIVE! — NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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OP-ED: Delivering Climate Resilience Funding to Communities that Need it the Most

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Just last month, FEMA announced nearly $3 billion in climate mitigation project selections nationwide to help communities build resilience through its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) national competition and Flood Mitigation Assistance program. In total, more than 50% of these projects will benefit disadvantaged communities, and in particular, 70% of BRIC projects will do the same.
The post OP-ED: Delivering Climate Resilience Funding to Communities that Need it the Most first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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1 week ago

September 22, 2023

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By Erik A. Hooks, FEMA Deputy Administrator

We know that disasters do not discriminate. Yet, recovery from the same event can be uneven from community to community, perpetuating pre-existing inequalities. Recognizing these disparities, FEMA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration have prioritized equity when it comes to accessing federal programs and resources.

The numbers tell the story.

Just last month, FEMA announced nearly $3 billion in climate mitigation project selections nationwide to help communities build resilience through its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) national competition and Flood Mitigation Assistance program. In total, more than 50% of these projects will benefit disadvantaged communities, and in particular, 70% of BRIC projects will do the same.

These selections further underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to equity and reaffirm FEMA’s mission of helping people before, during and after disasters, delivering funding to the communities that need it most.

Building on this momentum and our people-first approach, FEMA recently announced the initial designation of nearly 500 census tracts, which will be eligible for increased federal support to become more resilient to natural hazards and extreme weather worsened by the climate crisis. FEMA will use “Community Disaster Resilience Zone” designations to direct and manage financial and technical assistance for resilience projects nationwide, targeting communities most at risk due to climate change. More Community Disaster Resilience Zone designations, including tribal lands and territories, are expected to be announced in the fall of 2023.

These types of investments have, and will yield a significant return on investment for communities nationwide.

For example, in my home state of North Carolina, the historic community of Princeville, founded by freed African American slaves, uses BRIC funding to move vulnerable homes and critical utilities out of flood-prone areas.

In East Harlem, BRIC dollars will provide nature-based flood control solutions to mitigate the impacts of extreme rainfall events in the Clinton low-income housing community.

While we are encouraged by these investments, we know more must be done.

Not every community has the personnel, the time or the resources to apply for these federal dollars. Fortunately, FEMA offers free, Direct Technical Assistance to help under-resourced communities navigate the grant application process and get connected with critical resources. Under the leadership of FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, this assistance has been a game-changer, reducing barriers and providing even more flexible, customer-focused, tailored support to communities interested in building and sustaining successful resilience programs.

In Eastwick, Philadelphia, FEMA’s dedicated support helped the city with outreach to multiple federal agencies. Together, we built a comprehensive community-led flood mitigation strategy. When applied and implemented, this will make this community more resilient to hazards like flooding, which was negatively affecting many neighborhood blocks.

In DePue, Illinois, we worked hand-in-hand with communities to improve their ability to submit high-quality funding applications for hazard mitigation projects. We are happy to share that DePue is the first Direct Technical Assistance community to be selected in the BRIC national competition. And, we know they will not be the last. Thanks to this assistance and their ambition, DePue was awarded more than $20 million to build a new wastewater treatment plant, which will reduce flooding and raw sewage back-up into the basements of homes.

In total, our agency is working with over 70 communities, including tribal nations, to increase access to funding for mitigation projects that will make communities more livable and resilient.

With extreme weather events becoming increasingly intense and frequent due to climate change, we must keep pressing forward and continue investing in ways to better protect ourselves and our neighbors. And we are encouraged that local officials are engaging with us to learn more about the benefits of the BRIC non-financial Direct Technical Assistance initiative—just last week, we saw hundreds of participants nationwide register for a recent webinar on this important topic.

We want to see even more communities take advantage of this initiative, and, ultimately, obtain grants for innovative and forward-looking resilience projects. To that end, FEMA recently published a blog with five steps to help local communities and tribal nations learn more about the benefits of this non-financial technical assistance to access federal funding. I hope your community will take action and submit a letter of interest for this exciting opportunity and increase meaningful mitigation work throughout the country.

With the pace of disasters accelerating, communities can utilize federal resources to reduce their risk and take action to save property and lives. FEMA stands ready to be a partner and collaborator with any community that is ready to implement creative mitigation strategies and help build our nation’s resilience.

The post OP-ED: Delivering Climate Resilience Funding to Communities that Need it the Most first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tale of Two Underground Railroad Communities

ARIZONA INFORMANT — Prior to the Civil War, many communities in the Ohio River Valley were a part of an elaborate system that provided resources and protection for enslaved persons from Southern states on their journey to freedom. Once someone crossed the Ohio River, they traveled along unknown terrain of trails to safe houses and hiding places that would become known as the Underground Railroad.
The post Tale of Two Underground Railroad Communities first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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1 week ago

September 20, 2023

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By Christopher J. Miller, Sr. Director of Education & Community Engagement, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Christopher J. Miller

September is International Underground Railroad Month.

This proclamation began in the State of Maryland in 2019, and now more than 11 States officially celebrate one of the most significant eras in U.S. history. With the signing of Ohio HB 340 in June 2022, Ohio became the 12^th state to designate September International Underground Railroad Month.

Many history enthusiasts and scholars hope the momentum of the proclamation spreads to other states so that all our forebears of freedom are remembered.

Examining this era, you find that the Ohio River Valley is instrumental in the many narratives of freedom seekers. These stories are critical to our understanding of race relations and civic responsibilities.

Before the Civil War, many communities in the Ohio River Valley were part of an elaborate system that provided resources and protection for enslaved persons from Southern states on their journey to freedom. Once someone crossed the Ohio River, they traveled along unknown terrain of trails to safe houses and hiding places that would become known as the Underground Railroad.

Gateway to Freedom sign

The Underground Railroad was comprised of courageous people who were held to a higher law that confronted the institution of slavery with acts of civil disobedience by helping freedom seekers elude enslavers and slave hunters and help them get to Canada.

Many communities were a force for freedom along the more than 900-mile stretch of the Ohio River Valley, but I would like to focus on two significant communities.

Southern Indiana was a major part of this history. It was originally believed that there were from Posey to South Bend, Corydon to Porter, and Madison to DeKalb County, with many stops in between.

In further examination, the Underground Railroad in Indiana was a web of trails through the forests, swamps, briars, and dirt roads. The city that is often overlooked in reflecting on the history of the Underground Railroad is New Albany, Indiana.

By 1850, New Albany was the largest city in Indiana, with a population of 8,632. Free Blacks accounted for 502 of that population. Across the river, Louisville was Kentucky’s largest city, with a population of 42,829. A quarter of the 6,687 Black population were free in Louisville.

Town Clock Church (aerial view)

Louisville and New Albany would grow to become a significant region for Underground Railroad activity. People like Henson McIntosh became a prominent community member and major Underground Railroad conductor. McIntosh was one of approximately ten Underground Railroad agents in New Albany who used their wealth and influence to impact the lives of freedom seekers crossing the Ohio River.

The Carnegie Center for Art & History is an outstanding resource that continues to preserve New Albany’s role during the Underground Railroad era. Approximately 104 miles east along the Ohio River is another institution that plays a critical role in elevating the profile of the Underground Railroad on a national scope.

Inside Town Clock Church New Albany Indiana safe house

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is located on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio.

By 1850, Cincinnati would grow to be the 6^th largest city in the Union, with a sizable Black population.

The Freedom Center is prominently located in the heart of a historic Black community called Little Africa. Although the community no longer exists, its legacy lives on through the Freedom Center.

As with New Albany, the community that resided along the banks of the river served an important role in the story of the Underground Railroad. Little Africa was the gateway to freedom for thousands of freedom seekers escaping slavery.

Although there were Underground Railroad networks throughout the country, Ohio had the most active network of any other state, with approximately 3,000 miles of routes used by an estimated 40,000 freedom seekers that crossed through Little Africa.

Despite the growth of enslavement leading up to the Civil War, communities such as Little Africa and New Albany reveal the realities regarding race relations and a model for the dignity of human life through their respective efforts to be kind and resilient friends for the freedom seekers.

For More Information:

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center – https://freedomcenter.org/

Cincinnati Tourism – https://www.visitcincy.com/

Carnegie Center for Art & History – https://carnegiecenter.org/

Southern Indiana Tourism – https://www.gosoin.com/

The post Tale of Two Underground Railroad Communities first appeared on BlackPressUSA.