a Presentation of the Roots in the city Project in Overtown, Fl.

1. Roots in the City

3. “Many had considered
Overtown to be a vibrant
„Harlem of the South‟2 –
Raymond Mohl
The inception of Overtown began
in 1896. Henry Flagler, then a
railroad developer and real estate
promoter3, was in charge of the
development of what would
become the Florida East coast
Railway. He needed a place for
African American workers to live.
Thanks to segregation, Blacks
couldn‟t live just anywhere. The
area west of the railroad tracks was
chosen to be the “Colored Town”.
Overtown grew to be thriving,
community as the inhabitants
began starting their own business:
building hotels, groceries, markets,
barbershops, theaters, and
nightclubs2.

4. Overtown became a
popular destination for
African American
celebrities.
At its height, Overtown attracted
celebrities such as Nat King Cole:
Jazz pianist; Jackie Robinson: Major
league baseball player; Ella
Fitzgerald: jazz vocalist; Joe louis:
Heavy weight boxer; Josephine
Baker; actress.
Overtown was known for its
nightly entertainment, exotic
restaurants and active churches4.

5.  On June 29th, 1956; city officials voted to construct two highways through the city
of Overtown and Miami5. This pretty much killed Overtown economically:
“When the interstate highway came through, it destroyed the business district and
Overtown‟s economic vitality. Many residents disbursed to other places.”(Raymond Molh) 6
Today Overtown is considered to be the poorest neighborhood in
South Florida.

6. Left: Artist rendering of
renovated Overtown.
Lately, there have been plans to
renovate Overtown. The Mayor,
Manny Diaz, announced a plan to
build 1,000 housing units7. This is
expected to boost Overtown
economically; providing jobs,
and bringing in new residents to
the impoverished town.
This idea has raised concerns
about the impact it would make.
In a conversation with the
mayor, Arthur Teele Jr., the city
commissioner, stated how it
could threaten Overtown's
character and history as a
predominantly black
community. 8
''It will become a large
gentrification project,'' 9

7. The site of the construction would be on several
vacant lots. However, several other solutions have
been put forward to make use of these; one being
to turn the lots into gardens. This plan, Called
Roots in the City, has inspired people to take
more interest and responsibility in their
community and in the long run, may prove
beneficial than construction of more houses.

8. Left: Marvin Dunn
Photo:`1
www.collinscenter.org
The Roots in the city Project was
founded by Marvin Dunn, Ph.D. in
1994. It is a nonprofit, community-
based organization located in the
Overtown, a neighborhood located
near downtown Miami.
It is focused on community
development, creating jobs and
beautifying Miami's inner city. The
organization has established
several community gardens and
tree nurseries in Overtown.

10.  1.www.collinscenter.org
 2.http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=41016
 3. http://www.thefullwiki.org/Henry_Flagler
 4.http://www.thefullwiki.org/Overtown,_Miami,_Flo
rida
 5. http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/32066
 6.(RaymondMolh,http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?dur
ki=41016)
 7.http://www.miamirealestatetrends.com/Pages/Ove
rtownMiami.aspx
 8, 9,.
http://www.miamirealestatetrends.com/Pages/Overt
ownMiami.aspx