fredericka_wilson_hats_event.jpgMIAMI — Hats, hats and more hats. Big and small. Styles galore. All kinds of hats were on view as ladies sported them during the “100 Women in Hats for Wilson” event honoring Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., last Friday, July 13 at the Viceroy Miami hotel on Brickell Avenue.

It was an occasion of admiration for Wilson, known for the trademark hats that have become her signature. Many of the ladies present said they enjoyed sharing the tradition from an earlier era of wearing hats, which Wilson says she has never given up.

Several days later Wilson, however, debuted something new: Not on My Watch, the live radio show she is hosting, Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. on WMBM 1490 AM Gospel/Talk Radio.

During the inaugural show July 17, the first-term representative from Miami Gardens was joined by United Teachers of Dade (UTD) President Karen Aronowitz, UTD Secretary Treasurer Fedrick Ingram and Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Cutler Bay.

A hot topic was the controversial Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), which Wilson noted she has fought against for 14 years.  

“No other state in America deceives their communities by devising indiscernible formulas that no person or school can decipher,” Wilson said. “For far too long students have been treated as experiments in petri  dishes, and life-altering  decisions have been made with callous disregard for children’s futures.”

To weigh in during the half-hour weekly show, dial 305-953-9626 in Miami-Dade, 954-525-1490 in Broward or 888-599-9626 elsewhere.

Wilson applauded the nearly $2 million in federal grants this month from the Department of Veteran Affairs to two South Florida organizations for veterans homeless prevention.

The grants, said Wilson, “will strengthen efforts by organizations like the Advocate Program and Carrfour Supportive Housing to reduce homelessness among low-income veteran families.”