Students filled the We The Best x SNIPES store on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach for a back-to-school block party this weekend, where DJ Khaled sent kids on a shopping spree just days before Miami-Dade County Public Schools opens its doors for the new academic year. The party, which stretched into the night, celebrated self-expression, confidence and first-day style as families prepared for the district's first day of classes on Thursday.
The bash took place at the 673 Collins Avenue concept store, a 6,105-square-foot flagship venue that opened in August 2023 featuring DJ Khaled's personal office and a broadcast-quality recording studio for local aspiring artists, according to Comras Company. As WSVN 7News reported, DJ Khaled worked with the We The Best Foundation and the Circle of Brotherhood to put on the event, sending students home with new gear ahead of the first bell.
The station's report notes that the We The Best Foundation supported youth with back-to-school equipment as part of the celebration. Shameka Pierce, quoted in the same account, said many families struggle to provide their kids with back-to-school needs — a reality that hangs over the timing of the giveaway with Miami-Dade's 2026-2027 school year, serving over 300,000 students across South Florida, set to begin Thursday.
A Long-Running Partnership With Local Peacemakers
The Circle of Brotherhood, founded in 2013, is a South Florida organization led primarily by Black men that provides youth mentorship, violence intervention, community safety patrols and conflict resolution across Miami-Dade County, according to the American Bar Association. The group actively serves underserved neighborhoods including Liberty City and North Miami. DJ Khaled's relationship with the organization goes back years, including a $20,000 donation check he presented to the group at his 3rd Annual Golf Classic in December, building on previous multi-year cash contributions toward its youth programs, per iHeart.
That partnership has also produced physical infrastructure in the community. In August 2023, the We The Best Foundation and SNIPES funded and opened Unity Court, a newly renovated community basketball court at the Circle of Brotherhood's North Miami headquarters in Peacemaker Park. The foundation has also collaborated with Playing for Change to open a music lab inside the Overtown Youth Center, creating a dedicated creative space for inner-city youth, according to Overtown Youth Center.
Why the Circle of Brotherhood Needed the Help
The nonprofit's frontline work has faced real financial strain. Following federal grant cutbacks in early 2025, the Circle of Brotherhood received $200,000 in emergency funding last July from the Health Foundation of South Florida and the Community Based Public Safety Collective to sustain its frontline community violence intervention peacemakers, according to the Health Foundation of South Florida. Corporate and celebrity support, including Khaled's, has helped fill some of that gap as the group continues operating in neighborhoods hit hardest by the funding rollbacks.
The We The Best Foundation's philanthropy also extends beyond one-time events. The foundation sponsors an annual supplemental college scholarship for graduating seniors from Miami-Dade County public high schools who maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher and pursue a STEAM major at a Florida university, per the We The Best Foundation.
Families Feel the Pinch of Rising Costs
The timing of the giveaway lands amid broader financial pressure on households statewide. Florida's 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, which runs from July 20 through August 20, grants state tax exemptions on qualifying clothing priced at $100 or less, school supplies at $50 or less, and personal computers at $1,500 or less, according to HBK CPA. Nationally, the National Retail Federation projects that families with K-12 students will spend an average of $863.86 on school supplies, apparel and classroom technology this year.
Against that backdrop, free shopping sprees like the one at the SNIPES store offer direct relief to families just days before the first bell rings. Miami-Dade joins a string of similar community efforts across South Florida this back-to-school season, though this one carries Khaled's star power and years of investment in the same North Miami and Liberty City communities the Circle of Brotherhood serves.
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