Come hear about Miami’s Black history from someone who’s lived it | Opinion

Witness Miami’s Black history live and in real time.

Then attend Thursday night’s Fireside Chat with Bea Hines, dubbed “Down Memory Lane,” at the North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St. , from 6-8 p.m. Click here to register.

Who is Bea Hines? She is among the first Black reporters hired by the Miami Herald and is currently the longest serving reporter and columnist at the paper. She landed her job, a story in itself, in January 1966, a lifetime ago on so many different levels.

Which makes Hines a walking encyclopedia on Black life in Miami.

She was there when the Civil Rights Movement marched forth and when the erupted in Overtown; she was there when local public schools were desegregated and during the McDuffie riots in 1980.

She was here when there were “Black Only” drinking fountains across the city and “Black Only” restrooms. She was there when Interstate 95 was built across Miami’s Black neighborhoods, cutting the heart out of a vibrant community.

Hines will be interviewed about her extensive experiences by Miami Herald Day Editor Jeff Kleinman.

Hines is living, breathing Miami Black history. She was there. She saw it with her own eyes. Now hear her tell it.

‘She paved the way.’ How a woman with big dreams broke barriers to tell Miami’s story