On a warm Saturday afternoon, a group of residents, activists and community leaders gathered at Gibson Park in Overtown not just to stroll through its streets, but to reclaim them as their own. The walking tour, coined 鈥淭his Is Our City,鈥� became the first in a series organized by , a grassroots group devoted to building Black political, economic and social power in Miami-Dade County.
For more than two hours, participants walked through historic sites and listened to stories of resilience, displacement and survival, reflecting on what the neighborhood once was 鈥� and what it鈥檚 still fighting to become.
鈥淭his is about preserving the culture of Black Miami,鈥� said Moise 鈥淢oe鈥� Simbert, organizing director for The Black Collective. 鈥淲e want to make sure that people who come to Black Miami experience that culture 鈥� whether they鈥檙e in Overtown, Little Haiti or Liberty City. And for the people that are within Miami, we want to make sure they鈥檙e not being displaced, not being pushed out.鈥�
The Black agenda
The walking tour is one of several initiatives emerging from , a campaign that began in 2022. Over nine months between 2023 and 2024, The Black Collective canvassed more than 10,000 Black and Afro-Latino residents across 27 ZIP codes to learn about their priorities in four areas: safety, health, democracy and vision.
鈥淲hether it was sheltered, unsheltered, documented or undocumented, we wanted to get a true appearance for people of the community,鈥� said Simbert. 鈥淧eople were telling us that nobody really came into the community 鈥� We took the Noir Project as the initiative to get the real facts to start making real changes.鈥�
The findings, compiled into a 30-page report, became the foundation for , a platform outlining policy demands based on what Black Miamians said they needed.
Top concerns included secure jobs, affordable housing, fewer guns, access to mental health services and free clinics, and a stronger voice in local decision-making. Sixty percent of respondents said they felt their voices didn鈥檛 affect policymaking.
鈥淗ousing is not a luxury; it is a right,鈥� the Black Agenda reads. 鈥淲e built this city 鈥� yet we are pushed out, priced out, left out. We demand free, accessible housing for all.鈥�
Walking through history
The Overtown tour, led by lifelong resident and volunteer guide Jacqueline Conney, brought that history into focus. As she led residents and group members along Northwest Third Avenue, Conney described how once-affordable apartment complexes in front of Gibson Park have been replaced by developments out of reach for longtime residents.
鈥淭hose used to be apartment complexes that ranged from $400 for a one-bedroom, $650 for a two-bedroom,鈥� said Conney, signaling a building now called . 鈥淧eople could afford to live there. Then they made programs to help with Lotus House and Section 8. But all the elders that were there 鈥� where did they go?鈥�
Today, Island Living鈥檚 one-bedroom units range from $685 to $1,313, while its two-bedroom units range from $819 to $1,812.
The tour passed landmarks like St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1906, and Lil Greenhouse Grill, one of the first new Black-owned businesses to open in Overtown before the redevelopment boom. Conney shared how small acts of care, like the restaurant鈥檚 weekly free meals, keep the spirit of Overtown alive even as gentrification reshapes its streets.
But change is visible everywhere. Conney recalled how lots once selling for $10,000 skyrocketed to $90,000 in a few years, displacing many residents.
鈥淯nder this overpass,鈥� she said, signaling toward I-395, 鈥渦sed to be at least 20 to 70 houses. They stayed there because you had shelter from the rain, shelter from the sun. But they tore it all down.鈥�
After the tour, The Black Collective members surveyed additional residents to continue their efforts in housing advocacy. For Simbert, the tour was more than a history lesson; it was a chance to witness displacement in real time.
鈥淲hile we walk by the side of the highway, next to Camillus House, next to where people are sleeping on the ground, but we have a whole bunch of empty buildings where we need to be asking our government officials to hold them accountable and asking them, why is this not housing?
Voices from the ground
Sunya McKenney, a longtime resident of Carol City, spoke of skyrocketing rents and the disappearance of low-income housing.
鈥淭hey took the low-income places. They knocked them down, not just in Miami, but Miami Gardens and other parts of Dade County, and they鈥檙e making it unaffordable,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e come close to eviction so many times because my rent is unaffordable. I鈥檓 on a fixed income. My rent is $2,100. No central air, I had to buy my own window units. The landlord refused to.鈥�
David Peery, a former attorney turned housing advocate, shared how a traumatic eviction changed his life.
鈥淚 was a victim of a false arrest and a self-help eviction by two off-duty police officers working for my landlord,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 became homeless, lost all my possessions. That really changed the whole trajectory of my life.鈥�
Peery, who once lived in Overtown, said that walking through the neighborhood again showed him how much has changed.
鈥淥ver the past 10 years, Overtown has just changed dramatically,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll of the integrated neighborhood-type housing, all the longtime families, almost every single one of them are gone.鈥�
Peery believes history is repeating itself, as rising rents and new construction reflect the turmoil caused by I-95 and I-395 decades ago.
鈥淭he past 鈥� it鈥檚 just happened all over again, and the improvements they鈥檝e been making to the highway destroyed the last meaningful shreds of the neighborhood.鈥�
Still, Peery sees glimmers of hope.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still some life and vibrancy here,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome people still retain the old character of the neighborhood. We need protections 鈥� eviction prevention, protections for seniors, for people who鈥檝e been here for years. Because when you destroy that community, you destroy the whole character of our city.鈥�
What鈥檚 next
The Overtown walking tour was just the beginning. The Black Collective is planning more tours, with the next one scheduled for Little Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, to continue documenting, preserving and organizing around Miami鈥檚 Black cultural heritage.
Simbert said the tours also serve as a 鈥渢ime capsule鈥� for future generations.
鈥淚 feel like our mission as a Black Collective is to be that time capsule 鈥� to say, 鈥業n 2025, around housing, what was Black Miami doing? How did Black Miami feel? What changes and impacts were we making?鈥欌��
Next, the group plans to partner with other organizations on housing.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to compile this information, keep it current and raw, and use it to set a broader table to have more impactful conversations on how we can make some real impactful solutions in Miami,鈥� Simbert said.
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the SA国际传谋 newsroom. Read more at .
