FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2017
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE SUN SENTINEL
Andrew Gillum Targets South Florida on Road to Become Florida's Governor
By: Russell Motley
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum
knows he is in for the fight of his life. At 37,
the career poli�cian is now eyeing the 2018
governor’s race, as Gov. Rick Sco� exits the
office due to term limits. In March, Gillum
became the first Democra�c candidate to
formally launch a campaign, which finds
him making frequent stops to South
Florida.
“One of the reasons I’m in the race this
early is because I realize that name
recogni�on is going to be a real challenge,”
says Gillum, the only African-American
gubernatorial candidate. “But the truth is,
name recogni�on is going to be a challenge
for every single candidate when you have
an open primary.”
Born in the Richmond Heights area of
Miami, Gillum has a storied background.
His blue-collar parents le� Miami for
Gainesville, where they raised him and six
siblings. While at Florida A&M University,
Gillum experienced his first taste of poli�cs
as president of the Student Government
Associa�on. At 23, while s�ll in school, he
became the youngest ever elected to the
Tallahassee City Commission. In 2014, he
was elected mayor. Gillum was a featured
speaker at the 2016 Democra�c Na�onal
Conven�on, even reportedly making Sen.
Hillary Clinton’s shortlist for a vice
public office before. I can bring something
presiden�al running mate. S�ll, cri�cs
different. As a mayor, similar to a governor,
ques�on if he has the experience, the
you have the responsibility to get things
popularity, and the financial backing to pull
done.”
off the elec�on.
On the day Gillum spoke to Legacy, he
“He has a lot work cut out for him
took an early-morning flight from the state
because he’s not known outside of the
capital to the city of Doral to meet with the
Tallahassee bubble,”
non-profit Epilepsy
says Trimmel Gomes, a
Founda�on of Florida.
Tallahassee poli�cal
At issue is the future
analyst and host of The
of the Affordable Care
Rotunda, a podcast
Act (ACA), which the
inves�ga�ng Florida
founda�on’s CEO
poli�cs. “This is why
Karen Egozi says has
Gillum needs to do
helped reduce the
what he is currently
cost of medical care
doing, which is to go
for the 2,000 clients
outside of Tallahassee,
they serve statewide.
hit up these
Gillum supports
Democra�c
Medicaid expansion.
Mayor Andrew Gillum,
strongholds and make
“I got to hear
candidate for Florida Governor
his case.” Gillum boasts
firsthand an earful
nearly 15 years of
from these
public service and policy-making
‘navigators’,” says Gillum. “They’re coming
experience—something he says Gov. Sco�
into contact with people who aren’t
lacked when he took office in 2011.
covered and who need to be covered who
“We have a governor who was never in
have severe healthcare needs and they
poli�cs,” said Gillum. “We have a President
would be nega�vely impacted under the
of the United States—the most powerful
condi�ons of a repeal because of our
posi�on in the world—that was never in
state’s failure to extend Medicaid to
BB17
1.5 million people.”
Gillum is off to a strong start, raising
$765,000 in only his first few weeks of
campaigning. Gomes says he’ll need to
maintain that momentum in order to
compete in what’s expected to be a
crowded race for the Democra�c
nomina�on, including millionaire Miami
Beach Mayor Phil Levine, Orlando
businessman Chris King, and former U.S.
Rep. Gwen Graham, daughter of former
U.S. Sen. Bob Graham.
As Gillum’s poli�cal aspira�on expands,
so is his family. He and his wife, R. Jai, are
the parents of twins, Jackson and Caroline,
and are now expec�ng their third child.
Juggling fatherhood and the governor’s
race, Gillum says he’s ready for the
challenge.
“People need to know that their
governor is accessible to them and that
they have a governor that’s prepared to
work on their behalf and not the behalf of
special interests,” says Gillum. “And that’s
the background that I bring to the table.”
To see video excerpts of Legacy’s
interview with Mayor Gillum, visit our
Facebook page at Legacy Magazine.
PALM BEACH REPORT
By: Ann Marie Sorrell
Are Venues in Palm Beach County Open to Diverse Audiences?
Ann Marie Sorrell
Where do black audiences gather for
social and business events in Palm Beach
County? Currently, there are very few
places. A few spots include Celebrity
Restaurant and Lounge (West Palm Beach),
Kafe Hub (Riviera Beach), Zara’s Café (West
Palm Beach), Banyon Tree Restaurant
(Belle Glade), Caribbean Choice Bakery and
Restaurant (West Palm Beach) and Breathe
Lounge (Delray Beach). Most of these
loca�ons are black-owned/operated, and
naturally a�ract and welcome black
patrons. However, when it comes to special
events and social events, it is very difficult
for local promoters, event planners and
marketers to find other venues that are
open and inclusive.
I have personally witnessed a friend of
mine, who approached a venue to host an
event that she coordinates quarterly, go
through what I felt was a grueling
exchange. She introduced herself to the
venue owner by first presen�ng her
business card which showed that she is an
Engineer (an educated black professional),
then she presented her promoter business
card, followed by an en�re spill about her
crowd of over 300 guests being a
professional upscale audience that would
cause no trouble and spend money on food
and drinks at her “Social Networking
Mixer”. I thought, “wow, does she have to
do this with every non-black owned
venue?” The reality is that she and so many
others must walk into a venue and prove
that they and their guests are worthy to
come and spend money. “Why is this?”, I
ask. What is the percep�on by venue
owners and operators of black patrons?
Are the dollars that we spend on food,
drinks, and entertainment not as valuable
as everyone else’s dollar? Are we perceived
as a high-risk, un-safe audience? Is there
work to be done on our part to change any
nega�ve percep�ons of the black
audience? These are all ques�ons that I
welcome feedback and answers to (email
[email protected]).
I would like to recognize the venues in
Palm Beach County such as the Hilton
Airport Hotel (West Palm Beach), Blue
Mar�ni (West Palm Beach), Dirty Mar�ni
(Palm Beach Gardens), Sugar (Palm Beach
Gardens, and Boston’s on the Beach
(Delray Beach) for being welcoming,
inclusive and recognizing the more than $1
Trillion buying power that the black
community has. Venues that con�nue to
turn away our business is missing are a
tremendous economic opportunity.
Moreover, our county is missing out on an
opportunity to engage, retain and a�ract
black audiences. Mul�-cultural and
heritage tourism is on the rise and other
coun�es are responding and tapping into
this mul�-million-dollar market. Young
black professionals are looking for places to
socialize and network and we are losing
them to Miami and Fort Lauderdale in high
numbers. I challenge our leaders in the
tourism, commerce and government
sectors to not only start the dialog but
develop solu�ons where our county
celebrates diversity and creates ini�a�ves
that promote inclusiveness in reaching and
engaging mul�-cultural audiences.
Lastly, I encourage members of black
our community to create and own more
places for us to gather. This can be done
effec�vely through coopera�ve economics.
On the other hand, we as the patrons must
con�nue to support our black owned
establishments and those that open their
doors to us. For those who do not want our
business, it is quite simple, do not spend
black dollars there.