2019 Year In Review: Top stories I covered as a Multimedia Journalist in 2019

What a year 2019 has been!

As the year comes to an end, I reflect on all the stories I covered as a multimedia journalist for the year of 2019.

During my reflection, there were 17 stories I covered this year that impacted the community locally and abroad. 

Six more stories made my list this year in comparison to last year’s ‘year in review’ for 2018!

Continue reading as I share with you my top stories I covered for the year of 2019.

Here is the list of the top stories I covered for the year:

A mural of a historical figure was welcomed in the Gainesville community in December.

The mural of one of Gainesville's first African-American firefighters, former district chief Donald J. King, can be found at the Wilhelmina Johnson Resource Center located at 321 NW 10th St.

The building was originally the second fire station built in 1927 in the city and it has been used as a community center for the last 40 years. The Cultural Arts Coalition has been housed there for the last 38 years.

“Having a picture of him in this community is extremely rewarding to us,” said Nkwanda Jah, the Cultural Arts Coalition Director. “Having a strong black male figure on a wall here in the African-American community is very important to us."

King served at the Gainesville Fire Station from 1978 to 2006. He died at the age of 49 to leukemia.

​Yvonne Ferguson was the artist who painted the mural.
​Her website can be found here: www.diasporicpigments.bigcartel.com

Watch the Cultural Arts Coalition Director, Nkwanda Jah, share a brief history about
​Donald J. King:

This story made me aware of the dangers bus drivers face on their jobs.

The city of Gainesville and the Amalgamated Transit Union are working together to provide bus driver shields on buses that need the most protection.

I interviewed the president of local 1579 Amalgamated Transit Union, Zefnia Durham III, who talked to me about the series of events that left bus drivers questioning their safety throughout the country. 

He mentioned how a bus operator died in Tampa after a passenger cut his throat in May.

Another incident happened in June when a woman attacked a bus driver with a bat in Kansas City, Missouri in June.

One incident happened in Gainesville where a man physically assaulted a RTS bus driver en route from the Oaks Mall in February.

All of these attacks compelled Durham to protect the bus drivers’ safety in the city and he hopes the country will follow suit.

Watch the video below to know how much this effort will cost:

Taking long walks on the beach may be some people’s favorite activity,  but have you heard of taking long walks at the park?

Well, with this story I interviewed Art Campbell who has walked many times throughout the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park in Gainesville.

Campbell has been the volunteer for about four years and witnessed the transformation of its boardwalk which was built in the 1970s.

After the new construction of the boardwalk, nature-lovers can finally take a trip to the popular tourist attraction.

The steps were damaged during Hurricane Irma in 2017. It took the park about two years to receive funding to rebuild the boardwalk and six months to renovate it.

The new boardwalk reopened in the summer this year.

Watch below to learn more about the boardwalk reopening here:

A community in Gainesville worked together to give fathers a special Father's Day gift this year.
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One of the organizers for the 352 Father’s Day Bail Out, Panagioti Tsolkas, created the event to give families who do not have enough money for bond, a chance to see their loved ones at home again.

I spoke to him on why he created the event and I also interviewed a mother, Felicia Bell, who was grateful for the cause.

Watch below to listen to Felicia Bell’s story on her hope to see her son out of jail for Father’s Day:

At the beginning of the month this year, I interviewed a man who walked miles to the State Capitol to talk to state lawmakers to implement Clara's Law.

Edward Bowman, 75, made a stop in Chiefland on his way to Tallahassee to make sure no one experience what his wife, Clara Bowman, has gone through in the intensive care unit in Ocoee.

Clara's Law would require hospitals and healthcare facilities to report within 30 days all allegations of a sexual offense by a healthcare practitioner that involves a patient.

Bowman is determined to make sure it happens.

Watch his journey below:

A mayor from South America wanted to learn the tools on what it takes to better his city after winning his election.

The recently-elected mayor of Buenaventura in Colombia, Victor Hugo Vidal, flew to Gainesville in December to learn how to improve education, science, and healthcare in his city.

​Vidal's term starts Jan. 1 and one of his plans is to create a hospital in the city which models UF Health Shands Hospital.

Watch below to see the collaborative effort between Vidal, local politicians, and Gainesville residents to help Buenaventura:

They are the bells that are heard throughout ’The Swamp!’

The carillon at Century Tower entered its 40th year being played on campus at the University of Florida.

I spoke to Laura Ellis, a UF associate director and professor of music, about the history of the carillon and how to play it.

Two UF students who play the carillon also shared with me why they enjoy playing the instrument inside one of UF’s historic landmarks.

Watch below to know how musicians play the carillon:

The first African-American mayor of Newberry, Freddie Warmack, died in his home in April.

His death came a month after his daughter, Judy Hasan Lewis, passed away.

Warmack, 87, was born and raised in Newberry and he was elected as the mayor for the city in 1984.

He served the position as mayor from October 1984 through October 1994.

Before Warmack served as mayor, he served as a city commissioner for Group V from October 1974 through October 1984.

Hundreds attended the joyous occasion of the Investiture of Alachua County Court Judge Meshon Rawls at the Alachua County Criminal Justice Center in February.

Rawls said that 50,799 people spoke up for her in the election. The number was the amount of votes submitted to elect Rawls as Alachua County Judge.

The Honorable Stephan P. Mickle who is currently the United States District Court Senior Judge sworn in Rawls during the ceremony.

Mickle was a county court judge when he became the first black circuit judge, a seat he held for eight years.

There were four candidates in the Alachua County Court Judge race: Meshon Rawls, Craig DeThomasis, Darla Whistler, and Jon Uman.

Rawls defeated DeThomasis in a runoff election in November 2018.

Watch a brief video below of Rawls greeting supporters after the ceremony:

Archer native Roberta Lopez is the project coordinator for the Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Cemetery Restoration Organization and she wants the community's support to preserve its history.

Established by Lopez's sister Clyde Williams in 1999, BMECRO is working with the University of Florida to maintain the historic landmark.

The organization's goal is to receive funding to create a monument, repair headstones, and to build a fence around the cemetery to ensure its protection.

UF’s plan is to submit an application to the Florida Division of Historical Resources small matching grant program for $25,000.

The phrase ‘Equity or Extinction’ circulated throughout a neighborhood who is fighting to preserve the remnants of its history.

The Gainesville Alliance for Equitable Development hosted a ‘Tour & Talk’ on Seminary Lane, which is also known as Seminary Street or 5th Avenue in July.

“This is about development without displacement,” said Desmon Duncan-Walker, the founder of the Gainesville Alliance for Equitable Development. She created the event for “the community members who no longer feel at home in their neighborhoods.” 

She also said, “We want development but that existing residents can benefit from.”

​The ‘Tour & Talk’ was created to engage the community and city officials to create ways to restore the culture of the neighborhood without displacing its long-time residents.

​Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn, a senior lecturer for African American Studies at the University of Florida, led the tour of about 50 people through the Seminary Street community explaining its history and its legacy.

Watch a brief recap video of the ‘Tour & Talk’ here:

In late January, I was assigned to report on one of the greatest community leaders Alachua County and the city of Gainesville has ever seen.

On the first Saturday of Black History Month, the county celebrated the legacy of human rights activist Barbara Higgins.

State representatives and the city commission presented a proclamation during the program stating that February 2, 2019 be referred to as "Barbara L. Higgins Day" in Alachua County.

A few months later in June, the city of Gainesville hosted a dedication ceremony for the Barbara Higgins park located at 1352 SE Second Street in the Sugarhill community where Higgins lived.

The park has renovations such as having the playground repainted, mulch, a grill, and trash cans.

It was an honor sharing her story to the community.

​Below is the list of the articles I wrote about Higgins for the Gainesville Guardian:

People were on a move to listen to former political prisoners of the MOVE Organization in honor of Father’s Day and to kick off Juneteenth week at the MLK Center in Gainesville.

The Ona Move! presentation and dinner was the last series of events hosted by the 2019 Fight Toxic Prisons Convergence.

The keynote address included the recently released and reunited family members from the MOVE 9 crew—Mike Africa, Sr., his wife Debbie Africa, and their son Mike Africa, Jr. 

The MOVE Organization is a revolutionary environmental Black liberation organization that was founded by John Africa in 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mike and Debbie were locked up along with seven other members of MOVE in August 1978 after a police siege in Powelton Village neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

​After forty years in prison, both Mike and Debbie were released in 2018.

​They were then reunited with their son, who Debbie was pregnant with when she was imprisoned.

Watch a brief video of the event here:

Normally on Halloween kids look forward to getting lots of candy but for two brothers this year’s treat was different.

P.K. Yonge’s “Roaring Riptides” robotics team partnered with The Magic Wheelchair organization to unveil patrol-themed wheelchair costumes at Rawlings Elementary School in Gainesville.

Zaivion Mason, 14, and Zyler Mason, 6, received customized wheelchairs that resembled a patrol car and a fire truck.

Both boys have a genetic disability which affects their nervous system. The disability is called Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease.

The school held a parade to celebrate the customized wheelchairs for the two brothers.
Father Alonzo Mason and mother Lashaunda Mason enjoyed the special gifts from the team.

“This is amazing especially for my family because we’ve been through a lot and we’re going through a lot,” said Lashaunda Mason.

The Mason family is currently looking for donations for their Accessible Van Project. 

​“We just appreciate everything because you don’t think about stuff like this happening to you," Alonzo said. "It's a true blessing and we are truly thankful.”

This story has reached over 15,000 views on Facebook! The most views on a video I shared on ANY social media platform. 

I am happy that people loved watching the story as much as I loved covering it!

Watch this spook-tacular story here:

UF alums and the Gainesville community celebrated the opening of the new Institute of Black Culture.

Speakers acknowledged those who struggled and sacrificed to make this space possible today and looked forward on how the building will serve future generations.

In April 1971, the Black Student Union at UF submitted a list of demands to former UF President Stephen O’Connell stating how there should be a number of programs and initiatives to improve the climate for black students.

When administration failed to act on the student demands, students protested, demonstrations occurred and the occupation of the President’s office on April 15, 1971 called ‘Black Thursday’ is where students were arrested and suspended for occupying the President’s office.

An influx of withdrawal slips from black students and their supporters were submitted to the university once amnesty requests for the students who were arrested and suspended were denied.

The protests led to the establishment of the IBC in Fall 1971 and was officially
dedicated February 11, 1972.

​The building was demolished in August 2017 due to repairs. On November 16, 2019, the IBC opened its doors once again.

Watch the recap video of the ceremony here:

The University of Florida’s Black Law Student Association held a memorial to honor W. George Allen, the first black student to graduate from the university.

Allen practiced law for 51 years and was a civil rights advocate to help desegregate the university, Alachua County, and Broward County.

He died Thursday, Nov. 7 and UF BLSA hosted a memorial a week after his death to honor his legacy.

His bravery paved the way for many students like myself to graduate from the university.

​The video I edited that showcased the history of Allen and what he meant to the community received a feature on UF’s news website and the Florida Bar News.

UF student Taariq Lewis, UF Law professor Kenneth Nunn, and Laura Rosenbury, the dean of the college, shared their admiration for Allen during the memorial.

Watch the ceremony here:

This was such a heartbreaking story to cover.

Jasmine Robinson, 23, was reported missing to Alachua County Sheriff’s Office since Feb. 19. Robinson was six to seven months pregnant and her family members are worried for her and her unborn child.

Family members say the last time they spoke to her was Feb. 18.

The Florida Sheriff's Association Criminal Apprehension Assistance Program and Crime Stoppers with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office are offering for the first time in a local missing person's case, a reward of up to $8,000 for information that leads to the arrest of anyone responsible for her disappearance.

Three months after she was reported missing, ASO deputies placed sign boards in the Archer and Newberry area where detectives have been able to identify an area of interest in their on-going search for Jasmine Robinson.

She is still missing.

Please contact ASO with any specific tips and leads on Jasmine Robinson's whereabouts to Detective Morris at [email protected] or (352) 367-4083.
​

That's a wrap for the top stories I covered in 2019.
I am excited for my multimedia journalism journey in 2020!
To never miss a story or event I'm covering,
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The Making of a Multimedia Journalist: The Story of Voleer Thomas
Being a journalist is one of the most rewarding things I experience every time I pick up a camera, a pen, and a notepad. It is an honor to be a storyteller in the community and inform everyone on what’s going on.

As a journalist, writer, and thinker, I am very reflective. I was thinking how far I’ve come and how far I can go. 

The idea came to mind to write a mini autobiography blog post on my journey in becoming a multimedia journalist. Since I have the passion to share other people’s stories, why not share mine for a change :)

EARLY STAGES
Childhood: How the passion to read and write developed
In kindergarten through the second grade at Hallandale Elementary School, my teachers would allow their students to have “free time.” 

This means they gave us the choice to choose an activity to do that will give us a break from the teacher’s curriculum. 

Some children chose to play house, draw, or go outside.

I chose (majority of the time) to walk to the classroom’s library and select a book to read until “free time” is over.

I loved how books took me to another world and made me understand each character vividly. 

Reading made me love words. 

From reading as a child, I knew how important words were and still are and that peaked my interest to write myself.

My mother and my father would rotate on who would teach me how to write my name after school. 

Soon, they would teach me how to write the names of objects and places. 

I was amazed at how I can put a thought on paper during the writing sessions. If I was thinking about an object or a place, I can write it down from my mind to the composition book. I thought that was fascinating.

Words became sentences and sentences became journal entries when I started doing my own writing sessions.

I would start writing journal entries as early as eight years old.


MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS
Middle School: Where passion meets purpose
The passion for reading and writing continued through my years at Attucks Middle School. 

My favorite classes would be reading and literature. 

In those classes, I would enjoy reading the books the teachers assigned to us and complete essays and quizzes. (I know. I’m a nerd and a proud one.) 

Career Day in my English & Literature class in the seventh grade is one of the most memorable days of my life— it’s when I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up.

I forgot who the presenter was but I will always remember what he told me.

He asked each person in the classroom what we loved to do and he gave a suggestion on which profession we should consider. 

It became my turn to share my interest to the presenter and my classmates, “I love to write,” I said.

“You should think about being a journalist,” he responded.

As he moved on to the next student, I was confused by his answer. 

What is a journalist? I thought to myself. I initially thought it was someone who sold journals.

When I looked up the meaning of the word, it was comforting and rewarding to know that it was not what I had in mind.

It read that a journalist is someone who writes for newspapers, magazines, or news websites.

I was thrilled to know that there was a profession out there for people who loved to write. I was grateful for the presenter’s suggestion and grateful to know what my purpose was.


HIGH SCHOOL YEARS
High School: More than Words
As I entered my freshman year at Hallandale High School, I was eager to apply my passion in writing for an elective I would select.

I walked to the front desk and the guidance counselor selected the classes I needed to take. When she was done she asked, “What elective class do you want to take?”

After months of researching the elective classes the school had to offer, I proudly said, “Newspaper writing.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “We no longer have that as an elective this year.”

I felt my heart dropped to my stomach. What am I going to do? I asked myself. 

I had a mini internal panic attack because I didn’t see myself doing anything but writing. I looked up at her and asked, “What other electives are there?”

She told me there was Band, Home Economics, and Video Production. (From what I can remember. My mind was still recovering from her response saying that there was no longer a newspaper class.)

I didn’t choose Home Economics because being the first child, I had a grasp on what taking care of the home consists of. Even though I love music, I didn’t choose Band because I didn’t have the passion to play an instrument.

“What’s Video Production?” I asked. 

“It’s where you learn about cameras,” she responded.

Cameras?! I thought. At that moment, learning about cameras seemed like a daunting task.

How can I operate such a thing with all of those buttons and switches? 

“I’ll take that as an elective,” I said. What are you thinking?! I quickly thought to myself.

It was a scary choice for me but I wanted to do something different and if I didn’t like it I can always change my elective.

To my surprise, it ended up being one of my favorite classes to attend. Dare I say it, I liked the class even more than my English and Literature classes (sometimes.)

My Video Production teacher my freshman year was Mr. Watkins.

The first half of the year, he taught his students the mechanics and the creativity of using the camera— zoom, wide shots, closeups, etc.

One thing from his lessons that always stuck with me was when he was teaching about videography. He was saying that cameras help us tell stories. 

In my mind, I immediately disagreed. How can videos tell stories when words already do that? I said to myself.

He continued saying that words along with video makes a powerful combination. He explained how it takes a lot to put a movie together— a director, a screenplay writer, a video editor, etc.

In his presentation, he didn’t shun the power of words when speaking about the use of cameras. In fact, he suggested how video can make words even more impactful.

His presentation blew my mind. Before taking his class, I never even considered that using a camera and can be a tool for storytelling. 

I’ve always thought that writing and words were the only form of storytelling. I learned that BOTH can be used in the art of storytelling.

Mr. Watkins retired after my freshman year. My classmates and I asked if he could stay as our Video Production teacher until we graduated from high school. He turned down the suggestion and moved forward with his retirement.

My next Video Production teacher from sophomore year to senior year was Mrs. Dawn Donnelly. 

She brought to my attention that there was a profession I can do where I can be a storyteller through words AND videography.

I was talking to her about the dilemma I was having in choosing what I wanted to do— should I be a writer or a videographer? She told me I can do both. I was puzzled and then she told me to consider being a TV News Reporter.

What in the world did she just say?! I thought to myself.

She explained that the job allows me to be a storyteller through words and video. 

She was an alum from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

She talked about the programs they provide and how they have courses where I can learn to be a writer and a videographer in broadcast journalism.

Who knew that conversation would lead me to where I am today.


COLLEGE YEARS AND PROFESSIONAL YEARS
College Years & Professional Years: Laying the Groundwork
I enrolled at the University of Florida in 2013. Afterwards, I graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in the field of Telecommunications with a specialization in News.
​
After graduation, I started working at WCJB-TV in May 2017.

Within my career, I became a freelance writer for the Gainesville Guardian newspaper in August 2018.

I’ve covered stories ranging from politics, education, community pieces, protests, crime, environmental stories, etc.

Being a multimedia journalist is something I want to do for the rest of my life.

I intend to grow, evolve, and better my craft each day and with each story I get to share.

I am grateful for the mentors, teachers, my family, and friends who guided me to where I am today.

If you’ve reached this far in the blog post, thank you so much for spending your time to read it. I hope it was worthwhile <3

STAY CONNECTED
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Website: https://www.voleerthomas.com