Jazmine Santillana

NBC Intern and FIU Grad Student

Featured Work

Highlights

The Miami Times •

Miami moves toward Black museum

The Miami City Commission unanimously passed a resolution last week authorizing the city to begin negotiations with Miami-Dade for the release of $20.5 million in county funds dedicated to the construction of a long-awaited Black history museum at Virginia Key Beach Park.

The resolution does not state the county must disburse those funds to the city immediately, or that receipt of the money is imminent. Nevertheless, funds must be allocated to the museum project as soon as possible, according t
The Miami Times •

Confronting the mental health crisis in our schools

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Florida International University a $6 million grant to train school-based psychologists and social workers in an effort to improve access to mental health services for Miami-Dade County Public Schools students – money that will go a long way toward helping graduate students in those areas cover the costs of their education.

The Project Demonstration Innovative Grant, or DIG, is a five-year grant designed to address the national shortage of profession
The Miami Times •

Tech center opens at Florida Memorial

Tech nonprofit TechNolij has partnered with Florida Memorial University to launch the TechNolij Innovation Center. Created to provide tech accessibility to underrepresented Black and brown communities in Miami, the center allows people to earn tech experience through the program’s curriculum and potentially pivot into the industry professionally.

FMU hosted the center’s various partners as well as visiting students from William H. Turner Technical Arts High School and magnet high school iTech l
The Miami Times •

Dying homeless on the streets

It’s been one of the deadliest years for the homeless in Miami-Dade County in recent memory. In 2022, 216 homeless people died on the streets of our community, one of the largest figures on record since Homeless Persons Memorial Day was created in 2000.

Homeless advocates recently gathered to honor the memory of those lost during the annual Homeless Persons Memorial Candlelight Vigil Dec. 16. It’s part of a national effort to raise awareness about the tragedy of homelessness and promote advocac
The Miami Times •

'The Head & the Load’ an epic production

“The Head & the Load” tells the little known story of millions of African porters and carriers who served British, French and German forces during World War I through an epic theatrical production. Audiences can experience the moving and visually striking live performance next week at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, a limited run that coincides with Miami Art Week.

Internationally acclaimed South African artist William Kentridge, renowned for the evocative power of his work,
The Miami Times •

Dissent silenced at Miami City Hall over Virginia Key Beach

Supporters of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust gathered Oct. 27 at Miami City Hall to demonstrate their disapproval of the Miami City Commission’s decision to oust the park’s majority-Black board.

The transformative decision to have the majority-Cuban city commission replace the board trustees compelled the Black community to rally against the decision until the commission reversed it.

“This remains in the control of the commissioners but what is done can be undone,” said Teri Williams, presi

My Latest Work

The Miami Times •

Congressional commission aims to keep Black men and boys alive and healthy

The Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys (CSSBMB), led by Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, met on July 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C., to begin discussing what to do about health disparities faced by Black men and boys in America.

Howard University is a key partner in the endeavor.

The CSSBMB was established in 2020 within the office of the United States Commission on Civil Rights with 19 bipartisan members. It aims to make change through policy recommendations.

“This commis
The Miami Times •

Career anti-smoking leader fights against menthol

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids officially named tenured public health advocate Yolonda Richardson as its first Black woman president and CEO this month. The international nonprofit organization champions health equity for marginalized communities across the United States.

Richardson’s law and public health background pushed her to dedicate her career to advocating for the well-being of millions. She has led efforts to implement effective tobacco control policies and is recognized as a global pu
The Miami Times •

50 years of hip-hop to be honored at South Florida Book Festival

The 2023 South Florida Book Festival (SFBF) honors five decades of hip-hop history this week with “WORD! Celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop Culture.” The three-day event will take place at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) July 13-15, offering residents an intellectual, multigenerational exploration into the genre.

The free book festival intersects literature and visual and performing arts through dance and music workshops for young attendees. The opportunity to cr
The Miami Times •

Miami-Dade County makes changes to public transit system

Improvements to South Florida’s transit system are set to take place this month, and officials are providing advice to residents and tourists on how to travel safely within the state this summer.

According to Linda Morris, chief of service planning and scheduling at the Department of Transportation and Public Works in Miami-Dade County, summer brings slightly less traffic to the area as residents travel out of state. Morris and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava encourage locals and v
The Miami Times •

Local goalkeeper headed to Women’s World Cup

A Little Haiti Football Club member and goalkeeper for Haiti’s national women’s team will head across the world to participate in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand this summer.

Nahomie Ambroise, 19, will represent both her home country and the Miami soccer club that’s been a source of support and camaraderie since she arrived in the United States in August 2022. She is one of 25 players preselected to join the Women’s World Cup team by Nicolas Delépine, Haiti’s national women’s
The Miami Times •

Black filmmakers share their stories and warn of writers’ strike consequences at ABFF in Miami Beach

The 27th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) kicked off a week of festivities in Miami Beach with a star-studded red carpet. A long list of highly anticipated film screenings and film industry icons sharing their wisdom during panel discussions at the New World Center is following through June 25.

A few of the highlighted panel discussions included “The Lena Waithe Effect,” hosted by its namesake – 2023 ABFF Ambassador, actor, producer and founder of Hillman Grad Productions – who dove i
The Miami Times •

Teachers union pushes back against anti-education legislation

United Teachers of Dade (UTD) and local activists gathered at the Dr. Rolando Espinosa K-8 Center in Doral last week to push back against Florida’s anti-education and anti-freedom legislation.

Recent education bills restricting books about Black and LGBTQ+ history in school libraries and blocking diversity, equity and inclusion spending in higher education are at the forefront of their fight to create greater accessibility to education and safeguard individual freedoms.

Counties across South F
The Miami Times •

Civil Rights Lawyers toss Miami Times out of Hampton House meeting

Last Thursday was a stormy night in more ways than one in Miami, when a downpour delayed the start of a meeting at The Historic Hampton House publicized to start at 6 p.m. and from which The Miami Times was ultimately banned.

At least 50 people were expected, according to Hampton House board chair Jacquie Colyer, but just six arrived by 7 p.m. and turned the sea of chairs into an intimate discussion circle. The topic of conversation, “Hands Off Our History,” was organized by a group called the
The Miami Times •

Top picks from the American Black Film Festival

The 27th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) returns this week to Miami Beach, packed with original film screenings, panel discussions filled with star-studded talent, casting calls and awards.

Here are a few featured projects highlighting the Black experience on film and capturing Black actors in positive and unique roles. The festival takes place June 14-18 in various locations around South Beach.

“They Cloned Tyrone” premieres at ABFF’s red carpet opening night at 7:30 p.m. at the Ne
The Miami Times •

South Florida celebrates Juneteenth

More than 150 years after the last enslaved people in the United States learned they had been freed through the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, Juneteenth became a federal holiday, officially honoring a day that had already been observed for years and seen as an opportunity to share knowledge and cultivate understanding of Black history in the United States.

You can celebrate the nation’s second Independence Day at a long list of gatherings and events throughout South Florida; we’ve narrowed th
The Miami Times •

Teachers union pushes back against anti-education legislation

United Teachers of Dade (UTD) and local activists gathered at the Dr. Rolando Espinosa K-8 Center in Doral last week to push back against Florida’s anti-education and anti-freedom legislation.

Recent education bills restricting books about Black and LGBTQ+ history in school libraries and blocking diversity, equity and inclusion spending in higher education are at the forefront of their fight to create greater accessibility to education and safeguard individual freedoms.

Counties across South F
The Miami Times •

Black finalists on short list for Broward superintendent

The School Board of Broward County is moving to the final round of its search to fill the superintendent position with three candidates, leaving popular in-house applicant Valerie Wanza out.

Wanza has worked with the school district for more than 30 years, as a longtime educator and later as chief of the office of school performance and accountability, a role she assumed in 2015.

She briefly served as a “task assigned superintendent” after former Superintendent Vickie Cartwright received a hef
The Miami Times •

Juneteenth comes early

On June 19, 1865, a group of enslaved people living in Galveston Texas, learned that the Emancipation Proclamation had granted them their legally sanc­tioned freedom more than two years prior. They were the very last in the country to be made aware of their self-determination.

People have commem­orated Juneteenth and the days leading up to it for years, with music, dance, food and conversations about what it means to cel­ebrate it. In South Florida, the party’s already getting started.

Florida
The Miami Times •

Black LGBTQ+ history in South Florida

Critically-acclaimed visual artist Beau McCall highlights the Black LGBTQ+ experience and history in the United States through his first collage works exhibition, which includes dramatic and impactful images from the 1970s to the 1990s. The one-person show will be on view at the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library in Fort Lauderdale June 2 to Sept. 8.

The New York-based artist is bringing the Beau McCall Collection to South Florida to share captured moments of the LGBTQ+ rights movem
The Miami Times •

Liberty City apartment residents accuse management company of illegal evictions and neglect

Residents of Liberty City’s Lincoln Fields Apartments were joined by community activists Monday to fight what they say are illegal evictions, and to demand improvements after experiencing what they describe as deteriorating and unsanitary conditions. They’re calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate and take immediate action.

Lincoln Fields was built in the 1950s in the midst of redlining and segregation, and living conditions for its predominantly Black res
The Miami Times •

MOCA uplifts Black Southern artists

Two exhibitions with a focus on diverse artists from the American South have opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, where they’ll run through October 1.

One of them is “Lonnie Holley: If You Really Knew.” Originally from Birmingham, Ala., Holley dove into the world of art and music after having a chaotic upbringing marked by instability and sorrow. His art consists of sculptures made from everyday materials found in his surroundings that honor the people and places he’s known.
The Miami Times •

‘Create Dangerously’ if you dare

Haitian fine art is recognized globally for its uniqueness and authenticity, but now the full breadth of Haitian creativity in the face of overwhelming obstacles is on display on stage in the Miami New Drama world premiere of “Create Dangerously.”

Coinciding with Haitian Heritage Month, the production runs through May 28 at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach.

Tony Award-nominated artist Lileana Blain-Cruz wrote the play based on Miami-based Haitian author Edwidge Danticat’s book of essays, “Cre
The Miami Times •

Local artist roots residents back to community

“Grounded,” a public artwork created by Miami-based artist Xavier Cortada, brings beauty to the redeveloped Liberty Square apartment complex and reconnects Black culture and history to the heart of Miami-Dade County’s Black community.

The improvement of the apartment complex is part of the county’s Liberty City Rising redevelopment project, which was completed in 2020 for Black residents pushed out of densely populated Overtown. The project aimed to reconstruct the Liberty Square Community Cent
The Miami Times •

Child advocates recognized by The Children’s Trust

The Children’s Trust honored the work of individuals and organizations putting the needs of children and families first at the 2023 Champions for Children awards ceremony.

Grassroots community activist Regina Davis received the Excellence in Advocacy Award while the Jessie Trice Community Health System (JTCHS) received a program of the year nod for the health care services it provides at dozens of local schools.

Community trailblazers like Davis, lovingly known as “Ms. Regina,” has dedicated t
The Miami Times •

Spelling bee designed to mend police-youth relationships

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson’s efforts to improve police and youth relations continue as she brought young boys together with Miami-Dade police officers this week at the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project’s first annual Police and Youth Bee.

5000 Role Models was founded in 1993 by then Miami-Dade County Public Schools board member Wilson. The program addresses the critical need to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline through mentoring.It guides minority boys along a carefully charte
The Miami Times •

Tech businesses welcomed to North Miami

The city of North Miami could be the country’s next tech hub. City officials and the Lightship Foundation recently launched NoMi Tech to attract small, minority-led tech business to the area.

The initiative has a seven-point strategy to catapult North Miami to the forefront of the competitive sector as more tech companies place their roots in South Florida. The city plans to eventually designate a tech and innovation district and build an innovation hub, although it has not released the project
The Miami Times •

Miami moves toward Black museum

The Miami City Commission unanimously passed a resolution last week authorizing the city to begin negotiations with Miami-Dade for the release of $20.5 million in county funds dedicated to the construction of a long-awaited Black history museum at Virginia Key Beach Park.

The resolution does not state the county must disburse those funds to the city immediately, or that receipt of the money is imminent. Nevertheless, funds must be allocated to the museum project as soon as possible, according t
The Miami Times •

From spoken word to Broadway

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts celebrates Black creatives through poetry, music and theater as it kicks off its spring events.

Audiences will bask in local talents like the Deep Fried Funk Band performing a range of music, and the poetic work of four women in “Stories from the Womb” expressing the many aspects of womanhood.

Miami residents will also have the opportunity to experience Pastor Smokie Norful at the Arsht Center’s Free Gospel Sundays and see the award-winning Bro
Load More