Submitted by Jason Smith
Members of Black Greek Letter Organizations and allies combed the streets of Richmond Heights, FL to promote voter engagement. Over three dozen event adult and youth volunteers distributed voting preparedness checklist reminders and encouraged voter registration to residents across the community. Volunteers included members from the Iota Pi Lambda and Eta Delta Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Pi Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Miami Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Pi Nu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Rho Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. South Miami Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and South Dade Branch of the NAACP. The outreach activity was sponsored in part by Black Voters Matter, Equal Ground, and Florida Rising.
“As we approach midterm elections, it is important that we continue to remind Miami-Dade County residents about the importance of civic engagement and voter participation in all elections,” remarked Leslie Elus, President of the Iota Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Regina Sandilands, Political and Social Action Chairperson for Miami Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. shared that “the activities of the South Dade Divine 9 Pact are important because like-minded organizations gather to provide information not only to their members but also the communities they serve.”
The story of Richmond Heights dates back to World War II when the United States Navy purchased land in southwestern Dade County to build a station. Previously owned by the Richmond Tinder Company, a major supplier of Dade County Pine, the base was named Naval Air Station Richmond. During the war, the station housed blimps that protected ships in the Florida Straits and the Caribbean Basin that were hunting German U-boats. In 1945, the base was destroyed by a hurricane and subsequent fire.
After the war, Captain Frank C. Martin purchased the land adjacent to the former base and founded Richmond Heights. While Martin, himself, was a white man, he conceived a community for African American veterans returning from the war in response to the difficulty in finding quality affordable housing during the Jim Crow era. Martin developed parks, churches, and an elementary school, which today still bear his name. Sadly, Martin lost his life in a car accident near Lake Placid in Central Florida in 1951 at age 42. His friend, the builder EJ Pollock of Hialeah, picked up where he left off developing the area.
Today, Richmond Heights is a thriving African American community with a rich and proud history.
Be the first to comment