MIAMI BOOK FAIR 2020 // "Miami Times: Black Justice & Equality"

The Miami Book Fair is now underway, and Kya Publishing is excited to be a part of the virtual festivities, featured in the Virtual Marketplace with a great collection of writers and book/publishing organizations.

This year's Book Fair hosts so many great artists, and a full schedule of discussions, panels, and interviews. To start our week off, we had a chance to enjoy a great sessions on November 16: "The Miami Times and the Fight for Equality." 

Here's an overview of the event, followed by a link so you can check it out this week thanks to the convenient watch-on-demand platform!

This conversation was hosted by Florida-based journalist Nadege Green who has investigated and reported on local government in Miami in relation to the impacts on housing, climate, and other issues disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities in Miami-Dade County. Nadege is also the Director of Community Research & Storytelling with the Community Justice Project.

The session featured author Yanela McLeod, a history professor and communications professional with Florida A&M University, and her book "The Miami Times and the Fight for Equality: Race, Sport, and the Black Press, 1948-1958," highlighting the significance of the Black press, and the impact it had in Miami. The top Black-owned newspaper in America, The Miami Times was looked at particularly for advocacy with segregation lawsuits in the 1940s and its documentation of civil rights movements in Florida.

The publication was founded by Bahamian native H.E.S. Reeves, and co-managed with the support of his son Garth C. Reeves Sr. Yanela tells the story of the Reeves family and how they authentically presented the beauty of the Black community, regardless of the social unrest (and counterproductive false narratives) circulating in their surroundings. 

She noted that her book provides a model for how the Black press can be utilized in not only documenting history and current events, but also in providing a deliberate blueprint for change. Yanela stressed that journalists and publications within the national Black press should operate with a strategy, and to ensure they are being proactive, and not reactive to their environment. "The Miami Times used its platform for purpose," Yanela said.

Particularly proud of her appendix, where Yanela carefully listed and honored all of the journalists and visionaries surrounding the story of The Miami Times, she highlighted the celebrations and praised how communities had to work together to survive as well as to succeed.

"The Miami Times covered both the good and the bad, and balanced it," she noted. With a commitment to the truth, and also remembering to celebrate and acknowledge Black joy in addition to day's "bad" news, both Yanela and Nadege praised the publication for being a guide for Black press operation and influence.

Our key takeaways from this discussion: understanding the power of your platform, and consistently implementing journalistic integrity. Staying committed to the truth, and working together to create change.

Valuable reminders, in an engaging conversation between intriguing minds.

There's still time to enjoy "In Conversation: The Miami Times: Black Justice & Equality" ...be sure to check it out online before the festival ends this weekend!