Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Partnership Proposal
CONTENTS Our Mission
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Our Story
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The Historic Lyric Theater
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Programming at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater
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The Archival Collection
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The Historic D. A. Dorsey House Museum
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Community Impact
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Lyric Live presented by The Black Archives
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Lyric Live Sponsorship
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Executive Director Profile
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Founder Profile
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Contact Information
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OUR MISSION Incorporated on November 17, 1977, The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors, supported by a Board of Trustees and funded solely by membership, donations and grants. It is a manuscript and photographic repository in a community setting. The Black Archives was founded by public school librarian and teacher, Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, as a remedy to the lack of local black history materials available for the public to access. The Black Archives is utilized by students, teachers, researchers, scholars, members of the media and public-at-large. The mission of The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. is to collect, preserve and disseminate the history and culture of black South Florida from 1896 to the present. Five objectives link our mission: Objective 1 – Archival Collection: The Archives is a manuscript and photographic repository in a community setting that includes blueprints, oil paintings and artifacts. The goal of the archives is to collect, preserve and make accessible sourced materials of enduring value to students, teachers, researchers, scholars, the media and the public-at-large. The materials in the repository are collected for educational purposes in support of the archives. Objective 2 – The Historic Lyric Theater: The Lyric Theater is designated as a local and national historic landmark built in 1913. It is located in Miami’s historically black Overtown community and it is the anchor and driving force to the revival and redevelopment of this once-vibrant community. The Black Archives promotes and provides access to the historic venue and gives the community exposure and opportunities to present and view music, theater, dance, film, the spoken word, fine arts, exhibitions and traveling exhibits with an emphasis on the artists and experiences of the African Diaspora. Objective 3 – The Overtown Historic Folklife Village: To provide training and jobs through the creation of a regional tourist designation in Miami’s historically documented “entertainment district.” To showcase the legacy of Miami’s Overtown community using the back drop of the era of the Harlem Renaissance and the character of black architecture in Miami. Objective 4 – The Black Heritage Trail: To connect a trail of sites of historical, cultural and architectural significance throughout Miami-Dade County. From the Historic Lyric Theater in Overtown to Lemon City and Little Haiti; from Liberty City to Opa Locka and Miami Gardens; from Seminola (Hialeah) to Brownsville and Virginia Key Beach; connecting the Hampton House to the Railroad Shop (Alapattah); from the MacFarlane District (the black section of Coral Gables) to Coconut Grove; from Richmond Heights to Goulds and Florida City; encompassing all sites in between. Objective 5 –Black Archives Youth Advocacy Program (B.A.Y.A.P.): To encourage children of all ages to develop their full creative potential through the visual and performing arts. To offer a cultural alternative for the children of Overtown and Miami-Dade County in the fields of theater performance, back and front stage work, museum work, historical research and community involvement through their presentation of the arts. The Black Archives’ activities also include a Speakers Bureau, tours of historic black communities, children’s programs and special events. The Black Archives is a member of The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program and promotes the use of preservation for economic growth and cultural tourism in Miami-Dade’s historic black communities.
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OUR STORY
The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. has been a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization since its founding by Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields in 1977. The Black Archives serves as the repository for the black experience in South Florida from 1896 to the present. The mission of The Black Archives has been committed to identifying, collecting, preserving, educating, informing and making accessible items of enduring value in relation to the people of African descent in South Florida. Part of the success of The Black Archives has been the identification and preservation of historic sites throughout Miami Dade County. In 2014, we moved into our permanent home at the new Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater in Overtown. The complex provides a space for year-round programming, exhibitions, and a working environment for the headquarters of The Black Archives. The complex is in Miami's Overtown community, once an economic and cultural Mecca for people of African descent in the early 1900's but since urban renewal; has seen a drastic decline in the median family income, youth programming and sustainable housing. The area is now experiencing a rebirth, and the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater is at the forefront of this shift. In an effort to bring revitalization to the area and create sustainable employment for the indigenous residents and others, The Black Archives set out to move to the heart of the area by participating in Miami Dade County's General Obligation Bond program by receiving a ten-million dollar investment from the county to expand the Historic Lyric Theater and construct the auxiliary space necessary to house The Black Archives. Through the relocation of the organization after 33 years of being at a county facility, The Black Archives assumes a major role in the rejuvenation of the historic community by empowering the residents through job training and job placement in career paths in the arts, cultural forums and events at the new complex. Our organization seeks to establish alternative programming for the youth of the area by educating them and exposing them to previously unreachable cultural experiences; generate revenue and job employment through community preservation efforts and historic tours throughout the Folklife Village/and Miami-Dade County and; promote the facility nationally in effort to introduce a multi cultural traffic flow to the area that will encourage entrepreneurs to invest in the community by locating there businesses in the Folklife Village/District.
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THE HISTORIC LYRIC THEATER
Built in 1913, the Lyric Theater quickly became a major entertainment center for blacks in Miami. The 400-seat theater was built, owned and operated by Geder Walker, an enterprising Georgian who came to Miami prior to 1900. The theater anchored the district know as “Little Broadway,” an area alive with hotels, restaurants and nightclubs frequented by black and white tourists and residents. It served the community as a movie and vaudeville theater for almost fifty years, and was a symbol of black economic influence – free of discrimination – and a source of pride and culture within Overtown. After his death in 1919, Walker’s wife Henrietta continued to operate the Lyric which was also used as a community auditorium. School children and civic groups performed on its state and special events such as commencement ceremonies were held there. Visiting luminaries like Mary McCloud Bethune, Ethel Waters, and the Fisk Jubilee Singers lectured and sang at the Lyric. The Lyric continued to operate as a movie theater until 1959 when it became a church of the General Assembly of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. When Overtown began to deteriorate in the 1960′s the Lyric Theater closed and would remain shuttered for decades. The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. acquired the Lyric Theater in 1988. By 1989, the Theater, the lone surviving building in “Little Broadway,” was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and Phase 1 of restoration of the former showplace began. In 2000, after extensive rehabilitation, the newly restored Lyric Theater opened once again to audiences. In 2004, Phase 2 of reconstruction was completed, with the construction of a new lobby, box office, concession area and offices for the theater. Phase 3, expansion of the Lyric Theater, is currently underway and includes construction of: a studio theater/meeting space, additional wing space and a fly loft for the stage itself, a catering kitchen, a loading dock, a scene shop, archival administration offices, exhibition space, and other backstage operational areas. The theater officially reopened to the public in February 2014. Renamed the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex, it is now the oldest legitimate theater in Miami. Adjacent to the central downtown business district of Miami, it is an anchor site of the Historic Overtown Folklife Village. Just as in Overtown’s glory days during the early part of the 20th century, the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater is poised to once again become, in the 21st century, a symbol of black economic influence, as well as a social gathering place – free of discrimination – and a source of pride and culture within Overtown.
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PROGRAMMING AT
B.A.H.L.T
The Black Archives specializes in developing excellent relationships with the community through impactful programming. We believe that this unique position, combined with competitively priced activities will set the complex apart as a premiere venue. In addition to Black Archives Signature Programming, the organization has also partnered with several community arts organizations to present programming at the Theater, including: Florida A & M University, Florida Memorial University, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, iGen Film Festival, M Ensemble, Miami Contemporary Dance Company, Miami-Dade College, Miami-Dade County, Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival, New World School of the Arts, Tre Floyd & Elevating Voices, Tuskegee University Alumni Association, University of Miami, Urban Film Festival, WLRN, and the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency. Some examples of Black Archives Signature Programming include: Lyric Live – Every First Friday, the Black Archives presents a monthly interactive talent showcase on the iconic stage of the Historic Lyric Theater. The Apollo-styled amateur night features a local comedian as host, a live band, DJ, and the Bahamian Junkanoo serving as the sandman to usher less favored contestants off the stage with a unique Miami flair. Every month, the winner takes home $500 and a slot in the culminating Lyric Live All Stars show featuring celebrity guest judges and the season All Star title. GlassHouse Comedy Experience – Only the best comedians can survive throwing stones in the Glasshouse! The Glasshouse Comedy Experience is a mothly stand-up comedy series showcasing national and local comedians in the beautiful glass lobby of the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater. ICONS – Highlighting the Black Archives Archival Department in a coffee table-talk setting, ICONS will feature local pioneers reflecting on significant times in South Florida history. The talk will be moderated by a local radio personality, and accompanied by visual aids from the archival collection, as well as a talk back session between attendees and the featured speaker. Past speakers have included Black Archives Founder Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields and the late Publisher Emeritus of The Miami Times, Garth C. Reeves, Sr. Brown Bag Lunch Series –Part of the Archival Department’s educational programming, the Brown Bag Lunch Series highlights collections from the Black Archives repository. Collections are discussed and shared with the community by the Archivist, during a midday workshop while guests enjoy their lunch. Soul Basel Art Exhibitions - Each year, the Black Archives presents a special art exhibition that launches during the internationally-acclaimed Art Basel weekend in Miami. Coined Soul Basel, the art exhibitions in the Overtown community represent a culturally diverse display of talent, with the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater at the epicenter of activity. Notable exhibitions from previous years include A Man Among the People: A Purvis Young Homecoming (2014); No More Blues: A Photographic Anthology Dedicated to Advocacy and Change for Black Lives (2015); Visions of Our 44th President Barack Obama (2016); and Funky Turns 40: The Black Character Revolution. Exhibitions run from Soul Basel weekend through the end of Black History Month.
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THE BLACK ARCHIVES ARCHIVAL COLLECTION
The Archival Collection is a manuscript and photographic repository in a community setting that includes blueprints, oil paintings and artifacts. The goal of the archives is to collect, preserve and make accessible sourced materials of enduring value to students, teachers, researchers, scholars, the media and the public-at-large. The materials in the repository are collected for educational purposes in support of the archives. In 2014, the Archival Collection was relocated from its longtime home at the Joseph Caleb Center in Liberty City to the Black Archives’ new home at the Historic Lyric Theater in Overtown. Due to an unexpectedly hasty 17-day notice to move because of building construction and lack of funding required to acquire the staff and materials needed, the Archival Collection had been inaccessible to the public for 3 years. Due to the diligent work of BAHLT staff, the Collection reopened for public access in May 2016. 5
The Historic D.A. Dorsey House Museum Built in the early 1900s, the D. A. Dorsey House is located at 250 NW 9th Street in Historic Overtown and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is owned and managed by the Black Archives and was originally restored in the 1980s. Dana Albert Dorsey, a black pioneer, came to Miami around 1892 with the railroad from Quitman, Georgia. It is said that with $25.00 he purchased his first parcel of land which he developed into a business empire. Through wise investments, Dorsey amassed the largest real estate holdings of any black man in the United States, becoming Miami’s first black millionaire. His numerous enterprises in Miami included the Dorsey Hotel, a popular gathering place in the 1920’s and a neighborhood dry goods store. Dorsey had real estate holdings in Dade and Broward counties, Cuba and the Bahamas. Dorsey used his wealth and influence as a businessman and property owner to make significant contributions to the community. He donated the property at Northwest 71st Street and 17th Avenue to Dade County Public Schools, on which Dorsey High School was later built. He also donated land to the community’s first park and library. The Black Archives reopened the Dorsey to the public in February 2019 as a museum, featuring an exhibit on the life, history, and legacy of Dana Albert Dorsey; A tribute to our 44th President Barack Obama; Original Purvis Young artwork; and excerpts from the Miami Times, Miami's Black News periodicals.
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COMMUNITY IMPACT
Historically, the Lyric Theater has been the economic and entertainment anchor for Blacks in Miami. It was a place that supported minority-owned businesses and professionals, working together to sustain their community in a time of segregation and racial inequalities. The Lyric Theater lost its luster after the displacement of residents and businesses due in-part to the construction of Interstate 95 through the center of the community and integration. With the removal of the base economy, the theater became identified with the slum and blight of the neighborhood. Due to the efforts of native Miamians such as Black Archives founder Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, to preserve and restore many of the significantly historic structures in Miami, institutions such as the Historic Lyric Theater were saved. After a $10 million expansion project, the Black Archives was able to expand the century-old historic landmark to make it adaptable for modern use while creating a tourist destination for archival research and historical exhibitions. From its reopening in 2014 to date, the community-based Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater has provided employment, training, and jobs to hundreds of residents from low economic communities through its skilled staffing needs from hospitality, docent training and theater technicians, to public safety, archival administration and administrative staff needed to program the facility. More than just a vehicle for job growth within the neighborhood, the Black Archives provides “second chance� opportunities to residents who experience the most difficulties finding employment due to previous missteps in life. The Black Archives is not only addressing the need for job creation in Miami-Dade County’s underserved communities, but it is also offering job seekers a chance to reestablish themselves as productive citizens in the community with its inclusive job opportunity program.
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“LYRIC LIVE” presented by
THE BLACK ARCHIVES
Launched in February 2014, Lyric Live is a monthly Apollo-styled amateur night showcase presented by the Black Archives. Lyric Live is hosted by local comedian, accompanied by a DJ, and a house band. The show features a twist on the Amateur Night at the Apollo feel, by adding the distinctly local flavor of an authentic Bahamian Junkanoo band in lieu of the “Sandman.” The audience is the judge, as winners compete for a $500 cash prize each month and for a slot on the Lyric Live All Stars season-ending showcase. The culminating All Stars event features the season’s monthly winners, celebrity guest judges and a prize package including a cash award. Past guest judges have included Harry “KC” Wayne Casey (KC & the Sunshine Band); Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell (2 Live Crew); Peter Gunz (Love & Hip Hop reality star); and Kevin Evans (Grammy-Award nominated Record Executive). Lyric Live is a platform for up-andcoming amateur performers to increase their exposure to a broader audience, as well as to evaluate and strengthen their art. The Lyric Live program is held in conjunction with the Folklife Friday Festival, a community festival held adjacent to the Lyric Complex on the 9th Street Pedestrian Mall every first Friday of the month. It is a family-friendly night of entertainment that has become a favorite First Friday event for South Florida residents and visitors to Miami. Lyric Live is currently in its seventh season.
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“LYRIC LIVE”
SPONSORSHIP
+ Lyric Live Sponsorship Benefits* • Featured recognition as “Premier Sponsor” during sponsored Lyric Live performance • The opportunity for a JP Morgan Chase & Co representative to make 3-5 minute remarks before the culminating Lyric Live All Stars performance to an anticipated audience of 400 • Name, logo, slogan, and web address to appear on the BAHLT website as a Lyric Live Sponsor for the selected performance • Name and logo to appear in all print advertising • Name included in all radio advertising • Name included in all press releases • 10 complimentary tickets to Lyric Live All Stars *Lyric Live regular show sponsorship (one show) - $5,000; Lyric Live All Star show sponsorship (culminating show in February) - $7,500
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Timothy A. Barber Executive Director
Timothy A. Barber is the Executive Director of the Black Archives, History & Research Foundation of South Florida. He has held numerous positions at the Black Archives; including his beginnings as archivist intern in 2003, promotion to Archivist and Curator in 2006, and current appointment as Executive Director since 2009. As Director, Barber successfully administered a ten million dollar GOB capital grant fund to expand and re-open the Historic Lyric Theater, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. He has also leveraged federal grants from the Institute of Museums and Library Services along with local county grants to create sustainability for the organization’s operations and programming. Under his leadership, The Black Archives has become one of the leading black cultural institutions in South Florida; through the development of signature arts, culture and educational programming. Barber has engaged in national partnerships with organizations such as the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, for the South Florida exhibition of Visions of Our 44th President Barack Obama at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater. Barber has also been influential in restoring Miami’s Historic Overtown as a destination for cultural entertainment, theater and events, working as a cultural partner of the SEOPW Community Redevelopment Agency. A Miami native, Barber earned his AS in electronic engineering technology from Bauder College, and his BA in English and MA in History from Florida A&M University. He is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc.; Society of American Archivists; and a Board Member for the Association of African American Museums. Areas of Expertise: Program Development Career Management Professional Development Pathways to Senior Leadership Administration Community Engagement Multiplatform Presentation Institutional Programming Board Development
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Dr. Dorothy J. Fields Founder
Historian Dorothy Jenkins Fields, PhD. is a native Miamian and graduated from Booker T. Washington Jr. Senior High School in Overtown. She completed her undergraduate studies at Spelman College in Atlanta, earned a Master’s degree from University of Colorado, and a Ph. D. in Public History and African American History from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also received honorary doctorate degrees from three local universities and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship at Princeton University marking her achievements. Her special focus in returning to South Florida is Overtown, once the cradle of business and culture for black people. Historically significant buildings were rescued from anonymity and the wrecking ball by the leadership and determination of Dr. Fields. Those buildings include: The Historic Lyric Theater built in 1913; The Cola Nip Bottling Company; The Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, St. John Institutional Baptist Church, and the Dorsey House. Each figured prominently in the life of the black community throughout the 20th Century. All six buildings are now on the National Register of Historic places, thanks to Dr. Fields, The Black Archives Board of Directors and its staff. In particular, The Lyric Theater is a key to the process of revitalizing Overtown. At its center will be an area known as the Historic Overtown Folk Life Village, designated a Florida Main Street community by the Florida State Department in 1999. Dr. Fields also created The Miami-Dade Black Heritage Trail in 1992, implemented through the Miami-Dade county Public School’s Office of Cultural Diversity so that all school children could learn about locations that are important to Black History in the county. Additionally, she is a founding member and historian of the county’s Women’s Park, the first park in South Florida honoring women. As important as the preservation of historic buildings is to a community, more important is the preservation and protection of a community’s history and cultural traditions. It is the founding of the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida in 1977 that is the shinning gem in the diadem of Dr. Fields accomplishments. So important, so significant, that in 1997 the 105th Session of Congress honored Dr. Fields with these words in the Congressional record presented by the Honorable Carrie Meek: “… Mr. Speaker, I am truly proud of the pioneering efforts and resilient spirit of Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields that nurtured the spirit of the Black Archives Foundation in South Florida. The soul-searching representation captivated by its historic documents personify not so much the black destination, as much as the episodic journey of our pioneers to that destination. Together they evoke the truism of a revered African Ashanti proverb that ‘…until the lions get their own historian, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter…’” 1 United States Congressional Record: Proceeding and Debates of the 105th Congress, First Session, November 12, 1997, Vol. 143, pp E2335-6
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Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex
819 NW 2nd Avenue Miami, Florida 33116 TEL 786.708.4610 ï‚š FAX 305.400.8756 WWW.bahlt.org
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