In honor of Black History Month, we are celebrating the leaders who are paving the path right here in South Florida!
We spent some time getting to know Chief Delma-Noel Pratt of the Miami-Dade Police Department. As the North Operations Division Chief, Delma-Pratt is one of the highest ranking women in law enforcement in South Florida.
Timothy A. Barber of The Black Archives also explained the historic significance of the Overtown and Liberty City neighborhoods to the black experience in South Florida.
According to their website, the area began as “Colored Town” at the turn of the 20th century. It consisted mainly of black workers who built and serviced the railroad, streets and hotels, many of whom arrived from the Bahamas and from various southern states, serving as the city's primary workforce for more than five decades.
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The Lyric Theater in Overtown has seen the likes of Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Lena Horne and Aretha Franklin.
While urban renewal and the construction of two expressways contributed to the area's decline in the mid 1960s, Overtown has seen a resurgence as of late.
“The very history of Miami is incomplete without the history of Overtown," the site says, attributing to Professor John Hope Franklin of Duke University.
Marhsall L. Davis of Miami's African Heritage Cultural Arts Center also discussed the significant contributions African-Americans have made to the arts in South Florida.
"It has had a tremendous effect on so many people who came here to get their foundation laid in the arts, and to believe in themselves," he told NBC 6's Trina Robinson.
According to their site, the AHCAC exists to provide training and access for Miami-Dade County's African-American community by offering instruction in dance, drama, instrumental music, vocal music, media and visual arts.
They also provide in-house performing arts companies, as well as a residency program for emerging artists.
And in case you missed it, take a look at last February's Black History Month special, "Breaking Barriers" hosted by Jawan Strader and Trina Robinson.
NBC 6 South Florida is celebrating Black History Month by honoring those who are Paving the Path. How are you or a woman you admire #PavingthePath? Tweet us at @nbc6 and let us know!
Be sure to watch our Black History Month special, "Paving the Path" celebrating trailblazing women here in South Florida, airing on February 25th at 7 p.m.!