Volume XX I/January-February 2019

CHAIRWOMAN AUDREY M. EDMONSON DISTRICT 3 NEWSLETTER

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Martin Luther King. Jr. Parade

Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson flanked by her daughter, Dr. Ebony Dunn, and granddaughter, Bianca Casher, greeted parade goers from the top of a land traveling Miami Dade Police boat, at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade through Liberty City and Brownsville on Jan.21,2019.

Chairwoman Edmonson Cuts Ribbon at New Pelican Harbor Marina Docks Joined by Miami Dade Parks Director Nardi

County Commission Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon at the brand new marina docks at Pelican Harbor Marina on Jan. 19, 2019.  Joined by Miami-Dade County Parks and Open Spaces (MDPOS) Director Maria Nardi, Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) Director Spencer Crowley, environmentalist and Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin, MDPOS staff and “I Paddle” volunteers, Chairwoman Edmonson accepted a check from FIND which assisted in paying for repairs of damage caused by Hurricane Irma.

16 Corner Groundbreaking for Affordable Housing

Miami-Dade County Commission Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson, joined by City of Miami Commission Chairman Ken Russell, celebrated the groundbreaking of the “16 Corner” Rehabilitation Project on Jan. 30.    Located at 1540 NW 1 st Street, the project is a joint effort by the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), chaired by Chairman Russell, Mt. Zion Development, Inc. and the Vagabond Group, founded by Avra Jain. According to CRA Executive Director Jason Walker, this is the Omni CRA’s first major housing affordability project.   The CRA and Chairman Russell will assist Jain and Mt. Zion to purchase a group of 1950s garden apartments consisting of 44 units in Overtown which will be renovated in phases as affordable units .

Chairwoman Edmonson Celebrates Black History Month at Lyric Theater in Overtown

Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson, joined by Urban League President T. Willard Fair    Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson celebrated Black History Month with a reception for community residents and leaders at the Historic Lyric Theater in Overtown on Feb. 1, 2019, helping to kick-off the Black Archives Black History Month-Weekend Lyric Live events.

"The Lyric Theater is a very important part our heritage. After opening in 1913 as the most important black-owned playhouse in the South, the Lyric became a symbol of Miami’s vibrant black culture and the epicenter of “Little Broadway.” But after closing its doors in the 1960s, the Lyric was in danger of becoming a forgotten relic," Chairwoman Edmonson told the audience. "Fortunately, the Lyric was saved after the Black Archives History and Research Foundation purchased it in 1988 and the voters approved the General Obligation Bond that provided the funding needed for its restoration. The Lyric Theater is now back on the cultural map and once again a source of tremendous pride in Overtown. So kudos to the Black Archives and its founder, Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, for all you’ve done, and all you continue to do to preserve our past and secure our future as a thriving cultural community."