“Immigrants built this country, literally. So this is for them.”

As soon as those words left the lips of country rap star Shaboozey, who won his first Grammy earlier this week, Black Americans who are descendants of enslaved people swiftly pushed back and reminded him that enslaved Black people built this country and are essential to its founding.

One of those people was Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr.: “Are people including enslaved Africans, descendants of those enslaved, and Black people whose unjust, low-wage labor sustained the economy in the 1800s/1900s as immigrants when they say ‘immigrants built this country’?” said in a tweet. “Because chattel slavery was for the express purpose of building empire.”

King, who doesn’t explicitly mention Shaboozey, goes on to say that Black people were not brought to what is now America for a “better life.” They were chained, “bred like cattle, and severely violated, sexually and otherwise.”

King’s words are poignant and necessary as Black people celebrate the 100th anniversary of Black History Month (initially a week when it began) and come as many institutions, corporations and other entities have dialed back initiatives to support Black people and several state governments have made efforts to alter how Black history is taught or plain erase the accurate telling of Black history.

This is not said to dismiss the very present danger immigrants face and their contributions to present-day America. However, it is important to acknowledge the history of enslaved Black people. As King said, “Their trauma shouldn’t be diminished or forgotten, even in efforts toward freedom from ICE’s inhumane, violent tactics.”

Need to know:

Audit: No one told 5,400 drivers their Miami-Dade school-bus tickets were dismissed

Federal judge blocks termination of Haitian TPS, keeps protections from ending Tuesday

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INSIDE THE 305:

‘Misuse of authority’: Little Haiti Cultural Center director challenges suspension

The Little Haiti Cultural Center manager Dasha Saintremy voiced her concerns about “broad patterns of inappropriate leadership practices” affecting the role.

More than cookies? How these Miami Gardens Girl Scouts take care of business

There’s some serious cookie business going on at a Miami Gardens’s Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex.

OUTSIDE THE 305:

DHS ‘vehemently disagrees’ with judge’s Haiti TPS decision, hasn’t decided next step

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday that her agency is consulting with the Justice Department on how to proceed after a federal judge halted the administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in the U.S.

Texas Senate Primary Erupts After ‘Mediocre Black Man’ Remark

The Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas has been jolted by fresh controversy, one that has revived debates over race, power, and perceived political legitimacy in the Lone Star State and beyond, Capital B reports.

HIGH CULTURE:

“Luther” and Luther Vandross win big at Grammys

If this world were mine, Luther Vandross would still be living.

You may have seen the flub Cher made in announcing the “Never Too Much” singer as the winner for record of the year with a shocked look on her face (and rightfully so, considering he’s been dead nearly 21 years).

But the flub turned to love for Vandross from actual ROTY winners Kendrick Lamar, SZA and their collaborators, who won for their song, “Luther,” which samples his and singer Cheryl Lynn’s classic cover of “If This World Were Mine.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 3:00 PM.