North Miami Beach unveils new MLK statue at site that marked city's racial divisions
MIAMI -- For the first time in the history of North Miami Beach, a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will stand as a reminder of his quest for civil rights.
The iconic leader's statue was erected at the site of the old greenbelt that was a reminder of the racial divisions that separated the town.
"This was the alley that separated the Blacks and the whites," said resident Barbara Pearson, who remembers what it was like 60 years ago when a wall stood to divide the city based on race, and the feelings that came with it. "It still has some kind of what they call it, emotions, feelings, when things happen, when they beat up people, it comes back."
The wall was later torn down in part because of King's work along with the other civil rights activists.
Pearson lived through some of those changes, saying she was the first Black student to graduate from Fulford Elementary School.
"It was miserable, and kids were very rude," she said. "They called you all kinds of names, they spit on you, they kicked you, they didn't play with you."
She overcame those challenges and was present Monday to witness the King statue unveiling at MLK Linear Park.
North Miami Commissioner Daniela Jean proposed the statue.
"You know the alley used to be known as the alley, which was not the best thing at the time," said Emerald Tiggett, another longtime resident.
A restoration project transformed the areas into a greenspace, and the new statue is now a reminder of the fight for equality and King's dream.
"We still have a long way to go," Pearson said.
