D.A. Dorsey Owned Part of Fisher Island Before Carl Fisher Did
In 1918 Dana A. Dorsey, Miami’s first Black millionaire, bought land on the island now called Fisher Island, planning a beach resort for Black Miamians.
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Althea Gibson: The Tennis Trailblazer Who Trained in Florida
Before she broke the color barrier at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, Althea Gibson honed her game at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
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Esther Rolle: The Florida Star Who Made Television History
Born in Pompano Beach to Bahamian immigrants, Esther Rolle turned a supporting role into one of TV’s first proud, fully human Black mothers, and won an Emmy along the way.
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Sidney Poitier: The Miami Baby Who Made Oscar History
Sidney Poitier was born two months early in Miami in 1927 and was not expected to live. He grew up to become the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
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Augusta Savage: From Green Cove Springs to Harlem
Born in Green Cove Springs, Augusta Savage arrived in New York with $4.60 and became one of the Harlem Renaissance’s greatest sculptors and teachers. Her story starts in a Florida clay pit.
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Mary McLeod Bethune: She Started a School with $1.50 and Ended Up Advising the President
A daughter of formerly enslaved parents arrived in Daytona Beach in 1904 with $1.50 and five students. She built a university, advised FDR, and in 2022 became the first Black American honored in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
