FREEDOM FUND TOWN HALL MEETING: The NAACP South Dade Branch will host with various special guest speakers including National President of the NAACP Derrick Johnson, April 28, 7:30 p.m. at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church,10701 SW 184th St., Cutler Bay. Call 786-471-0012.

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YMCA HEALTHY KIDS DAY: The YMCA of South Florida is hosting the Y’s annual event on Saturday April 29, 9 am – noon in seven locations across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties, including the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center, 1409 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. The free event features a variety of family-friendly activities to encourage healthy kids, healthy families and a healthy start to the summer season. Visit ymcasouthflorida.org/hkd2022, call 954-334-9622 or email ccrilley@ymcasouthflorida.org.

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LADY’S FIRST: Join Lady Shannon Ighodaro for the 3rd Annual 100 Women of Virtue Lady’s First Women’s Empowerment Summit and Awards, April 29 at 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at 901 Event Center, 901 NW 183rd St. Miami. Lady’s First Women Empowerment Summit and Awards is a personal development symposium that will equip women with the necessary tools and practical solutions to build capacity for Self, Family and Community. Attendees will be introduced to groundbreaking mastermind work of the Strategic Empowerment Wheel (SEW) and hear from female industry leaders while networking. Past keynote speakers have included Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis and Dr. Naomi Nantambi Tutu. This year’s theme is "Your time to Bloom," will focus on Business, Family, Community and Ministry, and kick off with an awards ceremony honoring women of color who have contributed and exemplified excellence in their respective fields and their community. For other information, sponsorship, partnership and vending call 718-213-1702 or email info@kechthis.com or visit Eventbrite.com.

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“LOVE LETTERS TO OUR BODIES”: The first of three free, contemplative, online supportive workshops for African American/Black Women, living with cancer or cancer survivors, to explore how they experience their bodies, stories they tell themselves, how that has changed since their diagnosis, and how they engage in self-care. workshops will take place Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, 2 – 6 p.m., as National Minority Health Awareness Month wraps up. Visit bit.ly/LoveLettersApr2023

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RIVIERA BEACH MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL: High-energy family fun, entertainment and multicultural taste treats await attendees at the 2023 Around the World in 5 Hours event on Sunday, April 30, noon to 5 p.m. at the Riviera Beach Marina and Promenade, 193 E. 13th St., part of the city’s six month Art Explosion’23. Call 561-665-0151.

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MY TEACHER MY HERO: The 16th Annual Scholarship Award Gala recognizing excellence among educators takes place Saturday May 6, 5:30 p.m. at the Palm Beach Convention Center. Keynote speaker of the evening is actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph. Tickets $225, call Georgia Jacoviello at 561-881-4600 or email georgia.jacoviello@pbcharterschools.org.

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BLACK AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD: The Miami-Dade County board will hold its May meeting and public forum from 6 – 8 p.m., on Wednesday, May 10, in the South Dade Regional Library, 10750 SW 211th St. Miami (adjacent to the South Dade Government Center). The meeting also will be broadcast live on Facebook at facebook.com/advocacymdc.

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INSIDE | OUTSIDE: The Box Gallery exhibition on view through May 31 showcases the unique and original work of artists who have created outside of traditional art circles and includes a range of media, including painting, sculpture, and mixed media, at 811 Belvedere Rd., West Palm Beach, Florida. Free and open to the public, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Visit theboxgallery.info or call 786-521-1199.

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THE CRISIS: Black and Brown Women’s Maternal and Infant Mortality, Saturday, May 13, 9 a.m., Florida Memorial University, 15800 NW 42nd Ave., Miami Gardens. Free admission and breakfast. Hosted by the Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board and the Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade.

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THE GENIUS SPECIES: Ten North Group presents a group exhibition curated by artist and scholar Anya Wallace, on view at The Arts & Recreation Center (The ARC) in Opa-locka, 675 Ali Baba Ave, through May 31. Wallace curates a restorative and playful art environment featuring the work of Christina Edwards, Grace Hampton, Ciara Newton, Briana Pizarro, Ebony Y. Rhodes, T. Thompson and Sarah Stefana Smith, spannng various mediums as tactics for expression and exploration into issues surrounding race, nationality, class,

gender, orientation, religion and education.

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SMALL BUSINESS SUMMIT & EXPO: Hosted by the City of North Miami Beach, Wednesday, May 3, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., 17011 NE 19th Ave. RSVP at eventbrite.com.

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FREE FAMILY FESTIVAL AT AARLCC: Enjoy a day of fun for the whole family at the 18th Annual Children’s BookFest, the official kick-off for Broward County Library’s 2023 Summer Learning Program, held from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m on Saturday, June 3 at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC), 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Register for our free Summer Learning and enjoy a book giveaway, prize raffle, entertainers, crafts, face painting, activities, costumed characters, local authors, vendors and a virtual reality demo. Email BCLSummer@broward.org or call 954-357-6282.

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“I GOT BANK” CONTEST: OneUnited Bank announces its 13th Annual “I Got Bank!” National Financial Literacy Contest where ten children will win a $1,000 savings account. To make financial literacy a core value of the Black community, the bank is offering a free “I Got Bank” E-Book. Students from across the country between the ages of 8 and 12 are encouraged to read a financial literacy book of their choosing, and either write a 250-word essay or create an art project to show how they would apply what they learned from the book to their daily lives. Submissions must be emailed or postmarked by June 30, 2023. The bank will choose ten winners and award each a $1,000 savings account at OneUnited Bank by Aug. 31, 2023. Visit oneunited.com/book.

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