An appreciation of Haynes Johnson by Eric Newton, Knight Foundation’s senior adviser to the president. Johnson, a legendary political reporter who spent the past 15 years of his long career as the Knight Chair in Public Affairs Journalism at the University of Maryland, died Friday, May 24, 2013.

Haynes was not just the best of the old school but of any school, a shoe-leather reporter before most of today’s reporters were born, a giant in political journalism whose work shaped the nation, a devoted teacher who went out the way he wanted to, working to the end.

He was a Washington Post powerhouse, a frequent best-selling author, a TV analyst and a Pulitzer Prize-winner for his civil rights coverage. But in the decade I worked with him, I never heard anyone call him anything but Haynes.  His work took him to the top of America. But he was always down-to-earth.  This week was no exception. Not quite 82 years old, he finished the semester at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. On Monday, he went to graduation ceremonies. But by Friday he was dead.

 

For some eight years, Refresh Miami has toiled away to connect Miami’s startup community.

But in the last year, as the Miami startup community has become increasingly energized, so has Refresh Miami. Monthly meetups that drew, say, a dozen people in the early years are now regularly bringing in an excess of 300 and 400 people.

To support Refresh Miami in building new and better ways to connect and serve Miami’s rapidly growing startup and entrepreneurial community, Knight Foundation is making a $150,000 grant to the non-profit.

The support is another step in Knight Foundation’s effort to help strengthen Miami’s startup community and connect it to the broader public by fostering greater connection, support and hopefully— inspiration. The ultimate goal of the effort: help make Miami more of a place where ideas are built.

The grant to Refresh Miami, the largest tech meetup group in South Florida, comes on the heels of Knight Foundation investments in The Lab Miami, a co-working space in Wynwood; the launch of Endeavor in Miami, which will be the global organization’s first U.S. outpost; numerous events including Startup City: Miami, RokkMiami with Brad Feld, the first pop-up NewMe Accelerator and next year’s technology conference, eMerge Americas; along with efforts to diversify and broaden our base of entrepreneurs through educational initiatives like Girls Who Code and Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.  

At the heart of the investments is the belief that Miami is poised to make important gains as a community that’s alive with entrepreneurs, innovators and change-makers of all kinds, whether seeking social change or pure profit. And, in doing so, will deepen a sense of place and possibility that spurs greater resident engagement and stronger attachment to our young, rapidly evolving city.