The 44 Percent: Remembering Roger Fortson, Haitian migration, A’ja Wilson wins
Growing up in a military family as a Black boy was a unique experience. My father from Carol City, his father from Liberty City, and many of my family members served an America that often didn’t serve them back. I was not raised with the illusion that my family’s stripes and awards mattered more than our Blackness.
I grew up on Army bases throughout the continental United States and Panama learning about the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and what the average soldier’s life was like. A soldier typically travels the world and sacrifices relationships with loved ones and personal interests for a greater good.
Many of my friends as a kid also had enlisted parents and romanticized America and the military. But the more I learned about Black history and America’s global hegemony, I wasn’t sold.
The fatal shooting of Senior Airman Roger Fortson by a Florida deputy that mistakenly entered his home is a reminder that Black lives are not treated with the value that they deserve. Black people have fought valiantly and given many of our best years to America, yet in May 2024, we still can’t breathe.
- Michael Butler
INSIDE THE 305
‘They were murdered but they were here.’ A Haitian migrant’s quest to honor mom, siblings:
Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles wrote about how Haitian migrant Augustin Lorfils continues to honor his mother and siblings 45 years after they were killed while trying to make it to the United States.
For as long as he can remember, Augustin Lorfils had refused to confront the tragedy that had defined his life, which made national headlines but remained a taboo subject even within his immediate family.
That all changed a few years ago when a chance encounter with a guest at the South Beach hotel where he worked began to provides to answers to questions he had long had.
“He asked ‘What’s your story?’” Lorfils recalled the guest, a lawyer, asking him. “Everybody’s got a story.”
Not ready to share, he at first walked away. But the next day, Lorfils finally opened up.
His mother, Eliane Lorfils, 31, and five siblings drowned after they were pushed into the rough seas of the Atlantic about a quarter-mile off the coast of Florida by gun-wielding smugglers ferrying them and other Haitian migrants in a 28-foot speedboat from The Bahamas.
The shocking incident, which took place on Aug. 13, 1979, off Palm Beach, has the dubious distinction of being the first documented case of Haitian refugees dumped at sea.
OUTSIDE THE 305
Black airman shot to death by a Florida deputy who blitzed wrong apartment: attorneys
Air Force airman Roger Fortson was shot to death by a Florida deputy that mistakenly entered his home while he was on FaceTime. Herald reporter Grethel Aguila wrote about the tragedy and what we currently know.
A Black U.S. Air Force airman was on the phone with his girlfriend one afternoon when he heard someone pounding on the door of his apartment in the Florida Panhandle.
After looking through the peephole and noticing that it was covered, he grabbed his gun — and a sheriff’s deputy responding to a disturbance call stormed inside, attorneys say. His girlfriend listened in as he was shot six times.
Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was killed May 3 in his off-base Fort Walton Beach apartment by a deputy with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department. Fort Walton Beach is located between Pensacola and Panama City.
Fortson was based at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, located just outside Fort Walton Beach.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who’s on the team representing Fortson’s family, said a deputy was responding to a disturbance call at the apartment complex when they entered the wrong unit. Crump, based in Tallahassee, has been involved in several high-profile cases in which Black people were killed at the hands of law enforcement — including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
HIGH CULTURE
It’s official: A’ja Wilson is getting her own Nike signature sneaker
Like many hoops fans around the world, I am excited that WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson is finally getting her own signature sneaker from Nike. Andscape’s Aaron Dodson wrote about the announcement and what it means for women’s basketball.
At last, we can all stop asking the same question about WNBA superstar A’ja Wilson.
The 27-year-old center for the Las Vegas Aces and her longtime endorser, Nike, now have an answer to one of the most polarizing prompts in women’s basketball — Where is A’ja’s signature shoe?
On Saturday, Nike officially announced Wilson as the global footwear company’s next signature headliner. This makes her the 13th player in the WNBA’s 28-year history to be selected to design and release her own sneaker – the A’One.
“To finally say I’m a signature athlete is truly a blessing,” Wilson told Andscape via the Zoom platform earlier this week before Nike’s official announcement.
According to Nike, the A’One will be released in 2025. However, Wilson was confirmed to receive her signature line in early 2023.
Boiler Room comes to Miami this weekend
Amapiano fans, mark your calendars for Friday.
The critically acclaimed Boiler Room series touches down in Miami over the weekend. A key name on the marquee: Major League DJz.
“Best described as amapiano’s global ambassadors, Banele and Bandile Mbere have managed to convey the material conditions of the culture — how things look and feel, as well as sound — to new audiences around the world,” DJ Mag’s Ria Hylton wrote. “During the pandemic, their Balcony Mix series brought renewed attention to the sound, and ever since they’ve been touring the globe, inspiring others with their cross-genre collabs.”
The lineup also features a mix of house and techno djays including Armand Van Helden, Dee Diggs, Roi Perez, SATURNSARii and X CLUB.
- C. Isaiah Smalls
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
