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đź‘€Why all eyes will be on the Arsht Center
We narrowed your questions about Little Haiti down to three finalists. Check 'em out below 👇
(📸: Roshan Bransden)
Today’s how-to: Help us dig into Little Haiti
Last week we asked you to share your questions about Little Haiti’s culture, history and character. After receiving several questions from y’all, we’ve narrowed them down to three questions that we’re putting up for a vote:
- What happened to Toute Divisions Botanica on NE 54th and its owner Micheline Dalberis? —Dave Tompkins
- How can we collectively ensure that Little Haiti culture and character is not endangered with the expeditiously expanding (prohibitively) expensive development and rising cost of living? —Michael Mercury Pearson
- Did the influx of Haitian refugees in the 1980s and the Archdiocese’s integral ties to providing support for the community result in the settlement of the neighborhood by the Haitian community? -—Johann Ali
So which one should we answer? Let us know here. We’ll add up the votes, announce the winning question, and then work on getting you an answer later this month.
So stay tuned, and happy voting!
(📸: Courtesy of Laura Bruney)
Get to know Laura
Today we’re continuing our series on the people who make what we do possible — our supporting members. ❤️ Today we’re featuring Coral Gables’ Laura Bruney.
What made you decide to become a member of The New Tropic?
I love to learn more about our community, and I find new things to attend every week in the New Tropic. I read the newsletter in the morning and love how you celebrate locals, creatives, artists, and change makers. The piece on artist and activist Xavier Cortada and his work on climate change was great.
What’s something you’re working on — in ways big or small — that you could use help with?
The Arts & Business Council has launched an exciting new project to ignite non-profit arts boards with new members and new vitality. ArtsBoardMatch.org is like a dating website but for board matches. It is aimed at getting young professionals the information they need to get placed on a board.
What’s a recent story you’ve read about Miami that you wish more people cared about?
Trash in the ocean is really disturbing to me, and it’s something we can all help with. We live with the beautiful sea at our doorstep, and we take it for granted. We live around amazing manatees, dolphins, turtles, and fish, but we don’t do enough to protect them. I have stopped using plastic straws, styrofoam anything, and plastic bags.
What does it mean to you to live like you live here?
Miami is one of the most open and inviting cities in the world. We encourage everyone to live creatively, and I love how we can experience different cultures in the 305 through food and drink, festivals, concerts, performances, and special events. Â You can connect and find common ground with the arts. If you can’t find an arts experience in Miami, you are not trying!
Want to join Laura in supporting The New Tropic with a membership? Join here today for just $10 a month.
Meet these locals
In 2015, Michelle Meija and Baptist Health were looking for creative ways to inspire patients and neighbors to get active around their West Kendall hospital. They turned to The Miami Foundation’s Public Space Challenge with their idea — and won.
The grant allowed the Baptist team to build four exercise pods around its campus, featuring different types of exercise equipment. Learn more about Michelle’s project in our video, and submit your own project idea at PublicSpaceChallenge.org. Any for-profit, nonprofit, group or individual can apply.
PRODUCED BY THE NEW TROPIC CREATIVE STUDIO WITH THE MIAMI FOUNDATION
What Miami is talking about
Election season is gearing up in the 305. And if recent visits from Democratic presidential candidates like Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Amy Klobuchar hadn’t tipped you off enough, then last week’s news from the Democratic National Convention has made it clear.
The DNC announced that the first nationally-televised debates of the 2020 Democratic primary season will be held in Miami at the Adrienne Arsht Center on two nights in June.
Up to 10 candidates will participate on either night and will be selected at random. The 20 participants will be selected from those who either get at least 1 percent support in polling numbers or collect online donations from at least 65,000 supporters.
The announcement comes less than a week after President Trump made a notable appearance in Panama City announcing additional Hurricane Michael relief funding, but also doing some preliminary campaigning for his reelection bid.
In other news…
In “diseases we thought were old history” news: Measles outbreaks are happening around the country, and a new study from researchers at the University of Texas and Johns Hopkins found that Miami-Dade County has the third-highest risk of an outbreak in the country. (Miami New Times)
A pathway that takes you past beautiful tree canopies and natural landmarks sounds like a great way to spend a weekend afternoon, right? That’s what the Friends of the Commodore Trail organization is suggesting as it works to raise awareness and appreciation for the five-mile trail that goes through Coconut Grove down to the Gables. The goal is to make the trail more accessible, pedestrian-friendly, and sustainable. (Miami Herald)
North Miami might not jump out as the first example of a local city taking action against climate change, but a new design competition wants to change that. The Van Alen Institute has partnered with the city to seek out ideas on how to combat sea level rise at properties that deal with persistent flooding. (Archinect)
One more thing...
We wanted to let you all know about VoteRunLead’s upcoming #RunAsYouAre2019 National Training event.
The organization works to prepare women to run for local, state, and national office, and Miami will be one of 20 cities participating in its national initiative this Saturday.
Head here for more info. Have a great week, Miami!
– The New Tropic