Nathaniel “Traz” Powell

BTW Class of 1943

Nathaniel “Traz” Powell, who was the first black athlete to score a touchdown in the Orange Bowl stadium, went on to become one of the top coaches in the pre-integration Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association. He compiled a 167-37-3 career record over 21 years from 1949 through 1969 as head coach at Miami’s Carver and Mays high schools. Powell died in 1980. The football stadium at Miami-Dade College, which is the home to many of Miami-Dade’s top high school teams, including Miami Northwestern and Booker T. Washington, was renamed in his honor in 1988.

Dr. Enid Pinkney

BTW Class of 1949

Anative Miamian born in Overtown, Enid Curtis Pinkney is a longtime advocate for preserving the history of Miami-Dade’s black communities. She is a 1949 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Talledega College in Alabama and a master’s degree from Barry University. She is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from St. Thomas University.

A veteran of countless community service projects, Mrs. Pinkney was the first black president of Dade Heritage Trust and Natives of Dade. During her presidency at Dade Heritage Trust, the organization took the lead in efforts to save the “Miami Circle” archeological site from demolition. Today, among other civic engagements, she is president and CEO of the Historic Hampton House Community Trust. She gave leadership from keeping the building from being demolished.

Mrs. Pinkney has written several published works about Overtown and Alphonso Brownsville. She has also produced a 12 part series for Channel 17, Historical Perspectives of Alphonso Brownsville, and produced a program for Channel 35 that explored the accomplishments of Miami’s black pioneers buried in Miami City Cemetery. .In speaking of her passion, Mrs. Pinkney has said, “We need to do a better job of passing on our heritage to younger generations. We have a great history and have accomplished much. Our younger generation needs intense education of our past so that they will understand upon whose shoulders they stand as they set goals of achievement for themselves.” Mrs. Pinkney is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. She has been honored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the King of Clubs, the Coalition of Women, the History Makers and the Native People of Miami, among other entities and appointed to the “Miami Circle” advisory board by then-Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. Mrs. Pinkney is a member of the Talladega College Hall of Fame. The institution’s Alumni Association established the annual Enid Pinkney Humanitarian Awards Luncheon in her honor in 1999.

Mrs. Pinkney is a former principal, assistant principal, teacher, and counselor for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She recently helped

students at Miami Edison Senior High School write a play entitled “Blacks Search for a Future”. The play illustrated how black students felt about attending Edison Senior High in the 1960’s. Mrs. Pinkney is a founder and charter member of the Church of the Open Door (Congregational) United Church of Christ. She is a former member of the Executive Council and the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ.

“The challenge that I face today is giving leadership to the restoration of the Hampton House Motel”, was a concern expressed by Mrs. Pinkney.