Anything But a Slum

Explore the vibrant history of Miami's Overtown neighborhood with the Anything But a Slum: Miami-Overtown Before I-95/395 exhibit at the Black Police Precinct & Courthouse Museum. On display from June 19 to September 15, the exhibit challenges the often-stereotyped narrative of Overtown as a slum.

Through a blend of photographs, archival videos, audio recordings, and historical artifacts, the exhibit paints a vivid picture of life in Overtown before the major highway construction projects of the 1960s. These projects significantly impacted the neighborhood's social fabric, but "Anything But a Slum" shines a light on the community that thrived there in the decades prior. See iconic figures like Nat King Cole, Joe Louis and Sam Cooke enjoying themselves in the Overtown neighborhood, areas protected by Miami's Black police officers. The exhibit also showcases Overtown's status as a major hub for Black tourism, boasting a rich cultural scene.

Anything But a Slum delves deeper, exploring the resilience of Black communities in the pre-Civil Rights era. Learn how residents nurtured and developed Overtown into a significant cultural center, similar to Harlem and Tulsa. The exhibit challenges the notion that Black neighborhoods were inherently impoverished, highlighting the external forces and public policies that hindered Black wealth accumulation in urban areas.

More than just a historical record, "Anything But a Slum" serves as a reminder of the fragility of memory, particularly surrounding Black history and geography. It encourages a critical re-examination of the narrative surrounding Overtown, showcasing it as a place of Black collective joy and cultural vibrancy.