Legacy 2018 Miami: Black History Month Issue | Page 2

2BB
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO THE MIAMI HERALD
Editor's Note
Traveling back in �me is
absolutely fascina�ng. While
recently diving into documents at
the Black Archives History and
Research Founda�on in Historic
Overtown, I was quickly transported
to 1896. That is the year Dana A.
Dorsey, the son of Georgia
sharecroppers, arrived in South
Florida to build a real estate fortune.
Imagine an African-American
building his por�olio by owning 30
acres of breathtaking waterfront
property on what is now known as
Fisher Island. And this happened
during the tumultuous period of
segrega�on that followed the
na�on’s Reconstruc�on Era. That
transac�on helped catapult Dorsey
into Miami's elite club of
millionaires – the first
African-American businessman to
achieve such wealth in this area at
that �me.
Later that day, I stopped by the
Historic Hampton House in
Brownsville, a former motel where
the likes of the Rev. Dr. Mar�n
Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X
lodged during the segregated 1960s.
I was greeted by historian Dr. Enid C.
Pinckney, 86, who shared stories of
her father, Bishop Henry Cur�s,
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018
who led one of the first churches in
a small southeast Broward County
community ini�ally established for
Black families in the early 1900s. It is
now known as the City of West Park.
It is a thriving incorporated city with
a rich history of working-class Black
Americans who se�led there
seeking homeownership and
self-sufficiency.
These inspira�onal anecdotes
celebra�ng Black progress and
success in South Florida are o�en
ignored or overlooked in
mainstream history books and
media. We, here at Legacy
magazine, take pride in repor�ng
these stories, not just during Black
History Month, but throughout the
year.
Just ask archivist and historian
Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, 75,
founder of the Black Archives. "How
proud I am," said Fields in an email
to Legacy a�er offering her
exper�se for the February issue.
“Legacy magazine adds to my
personal and professional mission to
document the Black experience in
Miami-Dade County from 1896 to
the present. [Legacy CEO and
President] Dexter [Bridgeman] and
his associates con�nue to make an
important contribu�on to recording,
preserving and promo�ng Black
history year round. Thank you!"
Passing down rich stories of
struggle and triumph from one
genera�on to the next is our
mission, too. Let’s never forget from
whence we came so we’ll have a
be�er idea than our ancestors did
about the path we’re des�ned to
take.
Russell Motley
Editor-in-Chief, Legacy Magazine
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Dexter A. Bridgeman
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Editor-in-Chief
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Shannel Escoffery
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