George Floyd is only one among many black victims of police brutality in the United States whose unjust deaths have sparked important conversations about racism. The trial of his accused killer is underway.
In response, USF Libraries has put together the African American Experience, a collection of materials intended to celebrate and educate on the Black experience in Florida. The collection is arranged into six categories, including activism, Black-owned businesses, the community, journalism, the arts and general history.
The purpose of the collection is to promote social justice and highlight Black innovators who hold important milestones in history that are not taught in most schools past Black History Month.
“Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and that’s it, they don’t get into the nitty gritty about some of the other things,” says Ryan Watson, a professor at USF.
There is still no federal requirement to teach Black history in the United States, and only 12 out of 50 states formally include it in their curriculum. Instilling proper representation in students can avoid many issues Black Americans continue to face in their daily lives such as stigmas and stereotypes.
USF plans to digitize the materials from the collection to allow the community to add their own articles and expand the collection even further.
Aid available in Pinellas, Hillsborough counties for renters who are struggling
Pinellas County has opened applications for the emergency rental assistance program to help renters who may be facing eviction.
The aid is available to those who are behind on rent payments. If you live alone, you may be eligible if you earned less than $39,000 last year, while a family of two qualifies if their income was under $45,000 last year. Payments will be made directly to landlords or property managers by the county.
A similar program is available in Hillsborough County, which has received $44 million to assist residents who are falling behind on their payments. Applications to apply for aid are open to anyone who is eligible.
Florida’s gas prices reach their highest peak in three years
Gas prices in Florida skyrocketed to $2.88 per gallon, around 90 cents more than this time last year and the highest price they’ve been in three years.
Experts believe this may partially be due to an influx in driving now that millions have received the COVID-19 vaccination. February’s deadly winter storm in Texas is also to blame, as the state lost nearly half of its natural gas production because of freezing temperatures.
Things began to look up for a moment as prices dropped slightly, but the difference wasn’t nearly as much as many hoped due to the ship stuck in the Suez Canal that disrupted global trade, including crude oil.
AAA reports that prices are expected to fluctuate soon, but the future is unpredictable as people slowly begin to return to their daily lives.
Credits
Anchors: Dylan Zuccarello, Ginette Troya
Producer: Carla Ibanez
Reporters: Chloe Benjamin, Deanna Lampasona
Writer: Courtney Patterson
Graphics editor: Sean Stover
Video Editors: Courtney Patterson
Show Editor: Demi Asensio
Videographer: Niamh Larkin
Associate Producer: Demi Asensio, Bryony Deighton
Web Editor: Gabriella Martin
Executive Producer: Niamh Larkin
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Adviser: Jeanette Abrahamsen, Wayne Garcia
