Articles
Miami’s First Black Beach, Virginia Key
“Virginia Beach, a Dade County Park for the exclusive use of Negroes,” was opened on August 1, 1945.
Virginia Key Beach quickly became a cherished getaway, social gathering place, and even a sacred site for religious services for Black people who lived in and visited Miami-Dade.”
Dr. Dazelle Dean Simpson, Pioneering Black Miami Doctor
Dr. Dazelle Dean Simpson was the first Black Board-certified pediatrician in Miami and the entire state of Florida.
Read more here via Miami Times.
Bessie StringField, The Motorcycle Queen of Miami
In the 1950s, when women were relegated to housework, Bessie Stringfield revved and roared through Florida’s palm-tree-lined streets on her Harley-Davidson.
Ten Great Moments in Black Miami's Music History
Vignettes of Miami’s Black music scene in the 1950s and 60s. Featuring singers like Marion Anderson and Aretha Franklin.
Coconut Grove’s Bahamian Roots
Coconut Grove, Miami’s oldest neighborhood, was settled by Bahamians.
This article gives a deep history on pioneer Bahamians who made the community.
Miami Gardens History
Miami Gardens was mostly developed as military housing after World War II in Miami-Dade’s orther suburbs. "According to Miami historian Marvin Dunn, the area became a natural next place for Black residents to relocate as they headed north, and in some cases south, following the economic downturn of areas like Overtown — due to Interstate 95’s devastating impact on that neighborhood.”
Brownsville History
A history of how Brownsville in Northwest Miami-Dade became a predominantly Black neighborhood and the importance of the Historic Hampton House where Black celebrities and activists like Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. would stay while in the neighborhood.
Integrating Miami Edison Junior High
Gala Brown Munnings oved to Miami in 1955 with her father Dr. John O Browns Sr. “I attended Miami Edison Junior High. In my first year, there were only three
Negro children in the school, and one left after a short time. I felt different, disliked by some of the children and just tolerated by the teachers -- because of the color of my skin.”
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.'s Miami Legacy
A brief history of Martin Luther King Jr.’s connections to Miami.
Ace: A Historic Black Theater in Coconut Grove
The Ace Theater was built in the 1930. It was the centerpiece of the Grove’s long-established Black community, Miami’s oldest, attracting patrons far beyond Grand Avenue.
Read more via the Miami Herald.
Gwen Cherry: Miami-Dade’s First Black Woman Attorney
Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry was born in Miami in 1923. She worked as a math teacher at Miami Northwestern Senior High School before becoming a lawyer.