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First Coast Connect

Redistricting lawsuit; panhandling; Unidos en la Musica; What's good Wednesday

The Jacksonville City Council redistricting map packs a majority of Black residents into four out of 14 districts.
Andrew Pantazi
/
The Tributary
The Jacksonville City Council redistricting map packs a majority of Black residents into four out of 14 districts.

Civil rights groups and local activists have filed a lawsuit challenging what they consider Jacksonville City Council’s racially gerrymandered redistricting maps.

They say the maps diminish Black voters’ influence for the next decade in both City Council and Duval County School Board elections.

Guests:

Panhandling

Jacksonville City Councilman Al Ferraro held a meeting Monday to discuss concerns about panhandling around town.

Ferraro said he’s concerned panhandlers are harassing people to the point that it’s becoming a public safety issue. Panhandling is banned downtown, but it's still legal in other Jacksonville neighborhoods.

While some local leaders want a crackdown, experts on poverty and homelessness say it’s not that simple.

Guest: Dawn Gilman, CEO, Changing Homelessness.

Unidos en la Musica

Unidos en la Musica: A Latin American Festival returns to St. Augustine this weekend, after being on hiatus due to the pandemic.

Guest: Erika Quintero, CEO, Latin Community Services Inc.

What’s good Wednesday

  • May 7 is World Labyrinth Day. In Jacksonville, volunteers are working to construct a professionally built permanent labyrinth in the Peace Memorial Rose Garden Park opposite the Willow Branch Library. This red brick labyrinth will stand on the site well into the next century. People will be able to buy engraved bricks for pathways leading to the labyrinth.
  • Snyder Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electric has launched its new apprenticeship program “TradeUp Academy.” The program aims to train a skilled workforce to resolve labor shortages.
  • The Great Fire Run is this weekend. Put on by the Jacksonville Historical Society, the 5k and 1-mile runs raise money for the Jacksonville Historical Society. Dr. Wayne Wood told us more.
  • The Women of Color Cultural Foundation is awarding scholarships to 50 students enrolled in 10th and 11th grades. Recipients of the Emerging Stars Scholarship Essay Competition must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA and submit their essay and application by Friday.
  • Jacksonville Yoga for Justice and Inclusion is partnering with JASMYN to provide free yoga classes at JASMYN. If you want to support the partnership, head to Fishweir Brewing Company this Saturday for yoga and beer or kombucha. A $20 donation is encouraged.
  • THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center is hosting a six-week class, “Into the Rhythm Drumming,” hosted by Amber Hall. The program is based on evidence-based social and emotional learning to provide attendees with an interactive and therapeutic experience. The program is 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays.
  • The DONNA Foundation is debuting a new 5K race in honor of moms. The Black Knight DONNA Mother’s Day 5K is Saturday in Riverside.
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Katherine Hobbs was Associate Producer of talk shows at WJCT until 2022.