Amelia Orjuela Da Silva, Miami Times Staff Writer | Historic brunch honors the community’s rich past and bright future| South Miami-Dade’s Richmond Heights celebrated its 75th anniversary with an anniversary brunch and awards event hosted by the Historic Society and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. The event, which took place at Zoo Miami on Feb. 1, honored the rich history of this vibrant community and recognized the generations of families who transformed it from a vision into a beacon of Black excellence.
Richmond Heights was founded in 1949 by Capt. Frank C. Martin, a Pan American World Airways pilot, to provide African American veterans a place to call home after World War II. Faced with housing discrimination, Martin bought land in rural Miami-Dade and built a neighborhood where veterans and their families could live with dignity.
The first residents of Richmond Heights weren’t just veterans, however; they were tradespeople, entrepreneurs, educators and community leaders. They established schools, churches and civic groups that became the heart of the neighborhood. Richmond Heights quickly emerged as a hub for education, activism and pride, with many residents becoming the first in their families to attend college. The community also actively participated in the Civil Rights Movement, advocating for equal rights and desegregation…