A new statue honoring Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled on Monday in North Miami Beach, standing on a strip of land that was previously divided by Black and white residents.
The stretch between Northeast 14th Avenue and Northeast 16th Avenue that previously served as a segregation boundary is now Martin Luther King Jr. Linear Park and home to the new statue honoring the late civil rights leader in North Miami Beach’s Washington Park community.
City officials and residents attended the event honoring King’s legacy and commemorating those who marched for civil rights in Selma, Alabama. Barbra Pearson has lived in the Washington Park neighborhood for nearly 60 years and was one of the first residents to arrive at the event.
“They’re recognizing us, Black folks, so that means a lot to me,” she told the Miami Herald before joining several dozen others on a short walk to the park for an unveiling of the statue. “I can tell my kids, my grandkids, and that means a lot.”
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Residents walked two blocks from Washington Park to the MLK Linear Park in commemoration of those who marched in Selma roughly 58 years ago. The statue shows the King holding a book and standing atop a platform inscribed with his quote: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’”
North Miami Beach residents were joined by commissioners and children attending spring camp at the Washington Park Community Center. “It’s a great thing, especially, to get our young people to see the past,” North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur H. Sorey III said.
Fulford United Methodist Church Pastor Ginger Medley, who gave a brief prayer, said she has been involved with the North Miami Beach community for two years. He said he hopes the statue will be “a source of hope and encouragement and inspiration. You know, not just to the people in this neighborhood but to the people in the city.”
The statue was eight months in the making, North Miami Beach Commissioner Daniela Jean said. In August, the city selected the Sanford-based American Bronze Foundry to furnish, deliver and install the bronze statue for $58,300
“When I first got elected, this back alley was a mess,” Jean said. “And the previous city manager brought in trees, we brought in quotes from MLK, and today we are able to unveil the statue.”
Jean spoke of the history where the statue now sits, noting that a wooden fence was built to separate Black and white people, stretching 100 yards. The fence was torn down more than 50 years ago, she said.
Jean said the statue was one of the first of a person of color in the city. “So, it’s pretty monumental to have such a display that people from the neighborhood and people from all across the nation can actually come to the city of North Miami Beach and be able to honor the legacy of Dr. King,” she told reporters after the event.