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Page 3 of 7 Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora in MiamiMar 5th, 2009 through Jan 24th, 2010Casting a dramatic new light on the impact African-Americans, Africans, black Caribbeans and black Hispanics have had in shaping the City of Miami, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida presents an 11-month long exhibition titled Black Crossroads: The African Diaspora. “This is a long overdue focus on one of the most historically significant aspects of South Florida history”, said Dr. Marvin Dunn, Florida historian and author of the seminal work Black Miami in the Twentieth Century. “Black hands built the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, this exhibition captures it all,” continued Dr. Dunn. Drawn to Miami by factors ranging from proximity and economic demand to climate and political exile, African-Americans and Afro-Caribbean groups have been working and settling in Miami since before the city’s incorporation. In the process they have made significant political, economic and cultural contributions to the city. “So significant was the number of blacks residing in Miami by 1896 that 162 of them were used to make up the 362 votes needed for the city’s incorporation” said Robert McCammon, President and CEO of the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.  Black Crossroads, on display through January 24th, 2010, focuses on the universal themes - Neighborhoods, Labor, Civil Rights, Community and Traditions dating from 1896 to the present day. “We call this exhibition Black Crossroads because we want to reflect what Miami has always been: a meeting point for intersections of many members of the African Diaspora since as far back as the 1800s,” said Dr. Joanne Hyppolite, HMSF Chief Curator. |
