Miami-Dade County This Miami theater is commemorating 110 years in Overtown after nearly being demolished. penned by C. Isaac Mills II UPDATED 5:36 AM DECEMBER 26, 2023 On Wednesday, December 20, 2023, in Miami, Florida, Kamila E. Pritchett, the executive director of The Black Archives, is pictured inside the historic Overtown Lyric Theater. At cjuste@miamiherald.com, CARL JUSTE God and Dorothy Fields came to the rescue of the Lyric Theater. That’s Kamila Pritchett’s interpretation, at any rate. Pritchett, the director of the Black Archives-Historic Lyric Theater, stated that “it was almost on the verge of demolition by neglect.” While the Miami Heat arena was being constructed nearby, Overtown was to be completely demolished to make room for parking. But something was noticed: there were faint engravings on the building’s front facade that said, “General Assembly the Church Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith.” Pritchett went on, “That saved it a little bit of time being a religious building,” mentioning the Lyric’s brief existence as a house of worship, which started in the late 1950s. “And during that period, Dr. Fields successfully applied to have it added to the National Register of Historic Places.” Dorothy Jenkins Fields has dedicated her life to upholding the African-American community’s legacy and bringing African-American history to the attention of the general public. She is pictured at the Lyric Theater’s entrance, which houses Miami’s Black Archives. At cjuste@miamiherald.com, Carl Juste For what it’s worth, Fields and God accomplished more than just protect a location that had previously played host to notable Black figures such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Langston Hughes, and Ethel Waters. It was a protest in a city that didn’t really care about the neighborhood’s or Overtown’s past. Amidst the gentrification of the neighborhood and the restrictive education laws of Florida, community stakeholders hope that the Lyric, Miami’s oldest theater, will remain a stronghold of Black history as it celebrates its 110th anniversary. No matter how many high rises are built, Colored Town will always exist because Black Archives, the group that Fields founded to preserve Miami’s Black history, owns the Lyric Theater, Pritchett said. Geder Walker, a native of Georgia, constructed the Lyric in 1913. It was one of several entertainment venues that contributed to Overtown’s reputation as the “Harlem of the South.” Even though segregation was pervasive in Miami, neighborhoods like the Lyric gave the locals a sense of prestige and pride because everyone lived, worked, and played there, from judges to hotel employees. Walker “knew that Overtown was a community that needed that same type of facility because he had traveled to Europe and seen the opera houses and opulent performance venues there,” according to Pritchett. But as a concert venue, the 400-seat theater wasn’t all that impressive. Pritchett said that while some performers—such as renowned opera singer Marian Anderson—did perform, the main events included speakers, community gatherings, vaudeville acts, and movies. Pritchett stated, “It was more than just entertainment for Black people.” “It was entertainment for the Black community, but there were also white people and other visitors from Miami who came to have fun and be in a community without prejudice.” Overtown’s Historic Lyric Theater, recently renovated. Miami The Lyric was transformed into an apostolic church in 1959, and it stayed that way until the 1960s, when desegregation and the building of new highways contributed to the decline of Overtown. Fields was nevertheless forced to save the Lyric Theater and establish the Black Archives because the neighborhood, which was formerly home to Black laborers whose working conditions on the railroads and in hotels resembled slavery, managed to develop into a prosperous, independent community. Fields stated in January 2023, “I have not found any evidence of the expectation that Colored Town would be anything more than a weigh station for laborers.” “And by that, I mean that Black families and laborers weren’t expected to build a community.” Ingrid Bazin, also known as Ms. Ingrid B, is one of the transplants who has found inspiration in Fields’ dedication to her community. “I have a deep respect for the people who have fought for Overtown as a Black person who is not native to Miami,” Ms. Ingrid B stated. Since 2001, her entertainment company, On The B Side, has organized spoken word and live music events at the Lyric and other venues. “Right now, Overtown is a complete revolution. I’m thrilled to take part in the Overtown maintenance protest, which is the ultimate form of protest. Pritchett intends to use this kind of programming to make the theater “come alive.” First Fridays at the Lyric, a Sunshine Jazz Organization concert series, will take place at the venue in the upcoming months. It will hold HBCU Con, a weekend-long celebration of historically Black colleges and universities, beginning on January 10, 2024. The theater and the D.A. Dorsey House will collaborate to offer tours of both historic sites in February. “When people attend a show at the Lyric Theater, they are impressed by the venue because it is an amazing space where they are encountering high quality programming, not because it’s ‘good for Overtown,'” Pritchett continued. “This is true whether they are coming for a concert or a Black history program.” “Once you walk into that sacred space, you’re in Black history — whether you like it or not,” is the added perk. You’re going to see an exhibit that tells a story about our Black history through whatever we have hung on the walls. The 1996 view of the Lyric Theater. When it was constructed in 1913, the theater was state-of-the-art. Dr. Dorothy Fields observes, “The historic Lyric Theater continues to stand majestically in Miami’s Overtown as a physical reminder of what came before us, even in the midst of gentrification and redevelopment.” The Herald, Jeffrey A. Salter Pritchett also plans to add a full-service catering kitchen for rental space, additional storage for their archives, and a genealogy lab so that locals can research their ancestry. More than that, she hopes to “cultivate the next generation of history keepers” by figuring out how to involve the Lyric with the younger generation in the community. “I believe that what we’re doing is preserving and safeguarding history. I’m not brainwashing. I’m not giving advice. History is with us. Pritchett stated, “We are presenting it to you. “If the history you are taught makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, the more reason you should learn about it and hopefully make changes to your behavior so that the embarrassing parts of it don’t happen again.” The first edition of this story appeared at 4:30 AM on December 26, 2023. ISAIAH SMALLS II, C. (302) 373-8866 For the Miami Herald, C. Isaiah Smalls II covers racial and cultural issues. He was a member of ESPN’s inaugural Rhoden Fellows class and worked for The Undefeated. He holds degrees from Morehouse College and Columbia University. Bring Us Along: Get up-to-date information and your favorite local stories delivered straight to your fingertips. 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