Black Miami in the Twentieth Century

The Florida History and Culture Series

by Marvin Dunn

"A necessity for every African American who has ever lived in Dade County, or South Florida for that matter."--Garth Reeves, publisher emeritus, Miami Times

"A very ambitious project, and therein lies its great contribution: no one before has written a comprehensive history of Greater Miami's unique black community."--Paul S. George, Miami Dade Community College The first book devoted to the history of African Americans in south Florida and their pivotal role in the growth and development of Miami,  Black Miami in the Twentieth Century  traces their triumphs, drudgery, horrors, and courage during the first 100 years of the city's history. Firsthand accounts and over 130 photographs, many of them never published before, bring to life the proud heritage of Miami's black community.

Beginning with the legendary presence of black pirates on Biscayne Bay, Marvin Dunn sketches the streams of migration by which blacks came to account for nearly half the city’s voters at the turn of the century. From the birth of a new neighborhood known as "Colored Town," Dunn traces the blossoming of black businesses, churches, civic groups, and fraternal societies that made up the black community. He recounts the heyday of "Little Broadway" along Second Avenue, with photos and individual recollections that capture the richness and vitality of black Miami's golden age between the wars.

A substantial portion of the book is devoted to the Miami civil rights movement, and Dunn traces the evolution of Colored Town to Overtown and the subsequent growth of Liberty City. He profiles voting rights, housing and school desegregation, and civil disturbances like the McDuffie and Lozano incidents, and analyzes the issues and leadership that molded an increasingly diverse community through decades of strife and violence. In concluding chapters, he assesses the current position of the community--its socioeconomic status, education issues, residential patterns, and business development--and considers the effect of recent waves of immigration from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dunn combines exhaustive research in regional media and archives with personal interviews of pioneer citizens and longtime residents in a work that documents as never before the life of one of the most important black communities in the United States. 

Genres: History, Nonfiction

440 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 1997

Reviews

[Janine Hightower · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at black Miami, from pirates to race riots. I learned so much about Overtown, formerly colored town. I had no idea it was such a happening spot in the 40s when the black artists playing Miami Beach were forced to stay there during their visit. I lost interes when the stories turned tables and charts from the 80 and 90 census in the last chapter. And the book was written in 96, long before Obama and long before my arrival in Overtown. However, a must read for every Miami resident seeking historical context or a "why?" concerning the streets they walk on.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvin Dunn’s book is a great overview of the trends of black migration and settlement of Miami. It is thorough in terms of identifying the major movements of black history specific to Dade County. As is disclaimed in the introduction, this is not a comprehensive history, but rather a detailed summary that provides context for the black experience in South Florida. It is a neat telling of the communities that the varying blacks created for themselves as answer to racial undercurrents, as well as internal tensions. Dunn does an excellent job spotlighting several individuals throughout who impacted the black community for the better. The biographical information he gives provides a greater context for how their environment shaped them. In the epilogue Dunn follows this theme to implore contemporary black people to learn from their history and be the great leaders of the next century.

[Jennifer Nanek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the History of Blacks in Miami. I wish my City had something similar.

Enjoyed the early stories very much especially the civil rights ones from the 20s -60s. The book got to the riots of the 1980s which I had never heard of and I found that very upsetting. The end part with all statistics was dull. For some of these areas I looked up the current statistics.

For the most part the book was written as a narrative which made it very interesting to read.

The book never uses the phrase but it has critical race theory all over it. Very well written.

[Jessica Pimentel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contained a thorough account of black history in Miami but I would have loved to seen more maps referencing locations in the book as well as it written a little less like a textbook. Also a bit dated for when me reading it today.

[Ms. Dewsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about the city I live in and its history! Great, informative book.

[Selina Hall-Swope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about my home town and my people. The history I needed to learn and others should learn too.

[Sasha (bahareads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dunn's book is a look back at Miami's first century through black eyes. It tells the story of Black Miami through the events of lives of Black people; it is not meant to be comprehensive. Dunn has certain organization but the narrative does jump around in certain sections. I also thought the Early Bahamian history narrative was kind of rush and wrong. He kept making comments like "Bahamian roots are still apparent" but did not elaborate on what he meant by it. Overall though, I enjoyed reading the history of Black Miami, especially after the 1950s. The photographs he had in the book were so shocking.