FIU News: What is the South Florida Black Prosperity Alliance and how did you get involved? What is your role within the alliance?
Knowles: When the coronavirus pandemic hit us, and when George Floyd died in 2020, several community members from organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, the Broward County Black Chamber of Commerce, the Black Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County and FIU came together to discuss the shortfalls our communities were having and were going to have in the future, both in health inequities and systemic disparities, and how we can help protect them. With FIU’s support, we came together to form the South Florida Black Prosperity Alliance – to discuss these issues and help reform and change them. I chuckle at myself sometimes because I think of my role as the train conductor that keeps the alliance running on the tracks smoothly – we’re dealing with education, health, socioeconomic, arts and entertainment, and several other workgroups simultaneously, so it’s my job to ensure we continue making an impact together.
FIU News: Can you describe what you and alliance members have done, and are continuing to do, that has directly impacted our Black communities?
Knowles: We’ve been able to advocate for issues and disparities that plague our Miami-Dade communities daily, such as working with Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s team to distribute a disparity study in November of 2021; addressing health disparities that negatively impact our Black communities daily, especially as we continue fighting this deadly virus; addressing corporate pledges that were made to our communities over the last year, and how they are directly impacting us – and so much more. At the State of Black South Florida this Saturday, our communities have an opportunity to share their thoughts and collaboratively engage with us so we can continue working together to find solutions to our community’s systemic issues.
FIU News: It’s been more than a year since the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. The State of Black South Florida is an opportunity for the community to come together and discuss the progress the alliance has made so far. What can we look forward to at the State of Black South Florida? What work still needs to be done?
Knowles: Well, I think it’s having this conversation, having the conversation we’re going to have on Saturday. It’s getting the entire public to step into this conversation – it’s not just a Black issue, and we must understand that. The State of Black South Florida is an opportunity to engage our community members to join the alliance’s several workgroups, find solutions for our community’s dire needs, and raise funds to help sustain them. When we talk about the deaths of so many Black individuals like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, we must work with police departments, starting with our local police departments in Miami, to ensure that both social services departments and police precincts are trained properly to de-escalate situations together. It’s these conversations that will really empower us to spark the necessary changes, not just for our Black communities, but for our entire community and generations to come.
The State of Black South Florida will be held this Saturday, September 25 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus’ Wolfe University Center Theater. It is an opportunity for South Florida’s tri-county communities to come together and discuss priorities to reach a prosperous and equitable South Florida. The event is open to the public, and registration is free.
