These are a series of stories collected in Coconut Grove at the 2023 Goombay festival. Participants shared their experiences of the event, as well as their thoughts on Coconut Grove and the changes it has faced.
Clarice cooper
Transcript
– [Katie] So today is 2-10-2023 here in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida at Goombay Festival. My name’s Katie Coldiron and I am interviewing.
– Thank you.
– [Katie] Would you mind telling us your name please?
– Yes, my name is Clarice Cooper and I’m a native resident of Coconut Grove.
– [Katie] Thank you so much Clarice, for doing this with us. So, tell us a little bit about you were working in the, tell us about, you know, that you’re, what you remember earliest and you know, your parents, how they got to the Grove.
– Oh yes, yeah. My paternal grandparents actually met here and got married here. They had migrated from Eleuthera in The Bahamas. They were from two different settlements, but like a lot of people, they came from Europe and other places in the West Indies. They came here to Coconut Grove and in this little enclave here, they were socializing, went to the same church, and that’s how they got married. But they came here in the early part of the last century.
– [Katie] Wow, okay.
– Yeah, yeah. So my father was born here and his siblings. Now, my mother’s family had a different trajectory. They arrived here as adults. My mother’s parents were divorced and they came here to Florida. He went to Detroit. She stayed here in Broward County and then she married again, and she moved here to Coconut Grove. Because her husband, who was my mother’s stepfather, he also, his family was migrants from The Bahamas too. And they were, everybody wanted to get back to Coconut Grove. So they had been in this settlement here in Coconut Grove in this village we are now, since the last quarter of the 19th century, yeah.
– [Katie] Oh wow. When Miami was founded.
– Yeah right, exactly. Yeah, which was in 1898. As a matter of fact, there were black people who, a few black people, some of them from Coconut Grove who were assigned the original charter for the city of Miami.
– [Katie] Oh wow. And just to clarify, your mother’s family was from The Bahamas too?
– Yes, my mother’s actually from The Bahamas. She passed away in November. But she was a native . And she came here as a teenager, like a lot of people did because while she was growing up in The Bahamas as a pre-teen and then as a teenager, a lot of their friends migrated to the US because we had all the opportunities here. Yeah, the only thing that they were faced with, especially here in the southern part of this country, was the Jim Crow laws that were effect at that point, the segregation. Which of course we lived through as well because I was born in 1950 and the Civil Rights Act wasn’t passed until ’64. And up until that time we had also attended segregated schools. So I’ve had a very interesting life in my 73 years because I lived through a lot of eras.
– [Katie] Yes, and I’m so excited to hear about it. So, do you remember what your parents and grandparents when they got here, what they did for work?
– Mostly it was domestic or ground keeping, that sort of thing.
– Ah, okay.
– Yeah.
– [Katie] Did any of your family members work at, at Vizcaya at the time?
– A lot of people from this community did. That’s why they have the, the collaboration that they do now. And then I think Wendy and Rebecca, they were all working with people like my aunt Leona Cooper Baker, she’s instrumental in working with all the committee and several other people here from like descendants of people who had worked there. And, where I went to high school, which is in Immaculata-La Salle, which is really on the grounds of the Vizcaya, we would see, you know, people come there all day. We could see the tourists from our classrooms. And we knew at that point that there were a lot of people who had worked there from this community.
– [Katie] Oh wow.
– And I think the Vizcaya is a beautiful facility. I always loved it. Very picturesque. I like how it’s, you know, it juxtaposes with the Bay, and you know, really nice.
– [Katie] So you lived in the Grove your whole life or?
– Yes, my whole life. I’ve never lived anywhere else but here in Coconut Grove. The only time when I went away to college, and of course that was just, you know, temporary. We’d come back and forth for holidays in the summer.
– [Katie] Oh wow. So how’s the grove changed over your life?
– The Grove has changed a whole lot. A lot of people who I went to high school with are no longer here. They moved away because they got so crowded here. And I was fortunate enough because my parents stayed here and a lot of other people stayed here that we didn’t have to move away. But we did look at other places. But we said, nah, we can’t live anywhere but here in the Grove. So, so we were lucky enough that here and I made up my mind that I would never live anywhere else.
– [Katie] So were you growing up here, were you exposed to a lot of the Indian culture?
– Oh yes, indeed. Yes. Definitely, like a lot of kids, even kids that we went to high school with, in elementary school with, who were born, it was like, oh well they spoke with a Bahamian accent. But we never had that, but we were familiar with it, of course, yeah. They very much had a Bahamian influence.
– [Katie] A lot of, I mean, just growing up here, the road, there must have been Bahamians everywhere.
– Oh yeah, there were. But you know, the other cultures came in too from central Florida, north Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia. So, and the thing is like I said, during segregation, where all black people had to live together so, a person couldn’t come here of color and live anywhere they wanted to. They had to live where other black people were. So we had to coexist.
– [Katie] So there was a part where, so there was a one part of Coconut Grove?
– Yes.
– [Katie] Where was that?
– That really started here on just a block away on Plaza Street.
– [Katie] Ah.
– And then in the mid ’50s Yeah, mid to late ’50s when everything got really crowded here the black people started buying homes just east of there. And of course what happens across the country, a lot of people don’t like to talk about it because it’s the elephant in the room where blacks move in and other people move in, white people move out. But interestingly enough, it’s coming back, turning back in like with through gentrification, you know. And that’s what we’re trying to stem because with gentrification comes a whole lot of new architecture, vernaculars, which is not in keeping with the Bahamian vernacular that we had here before. So you see what we call the sugar cubes, the big boxes, those are all over the place. Plus they’re very unaffordable to people of color because most of them are like in the vintage of, the price range of three quarters of a million dollars. And if I can afford it, I’d buy one or two, but no I can’t, so. And plus it takes up a whole lot of your footprint of the land.
– [Katie] Wow, so you live, do you live in the house you grew up in here in the grove?
– No, I don’t. No, I live a block away from where I grew up.
– [Katie] Wow. Do you know, is your parents’ house still standing, or?
– No, that was all demolished. Yeah, and actually my parents moved a few blocks away on the gable side and another community that abuts Coconut Grove, just by, over by the two Carvers, Carver Elementary and Carver Middle School. And that’s also a neighborhood that’s changing. But that’s another story because that’s in another municipality.
– [Katie] So, if you don’t mind sharing, why was, why did they have to move? Like why–
– Oh well they decided they wanted, they needed a larger house.
– [Katie] Ah.
– And that’s why a lot of people left the area. Like as their families grew, and they had been living in like a little cottage with one or two bedrooms. Of course we lived in a house that was owned by a relative, but it was very old, it went through the 26 hurricanes. So it was very old, you know. And the upkeep on it was tremendous. you know, it’s a wonder my parents didn’t go bankrupt just trying to keep up with that because see a lot of those houses were built when the Bahamians moved here and most of them were built by hand.
– [Katie] Were they in the shotgun houses?
– Huh?
– [Katie] Were they what they called the shotgun houses?
– No, ours wasn’t a shotgun, but there were a lot of shotgun houses, yeah. Ours was a family owned house, it was built by a member of the family, yeah.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. Do you have relatives buried in the cemetery?
– Oh yes, oh yeah. My grandparents are buried there, my youngest brother is buried. There are lots of cousins, uncles, aunts. And then actually those are two cemeteries. One is the Charlotte Jane Memorial and he was, Mr. E.W.F. Stirrup senior, which I’m sure I’m sure you heard of because he owned a lot of property here. His wife was Charlotte Jane. So that cemetery was named for her. But directly behind that cemetery, which that’s, Charlotte Jane fronts Douglas Road, that’s the Coconut Grove Cemetery.
– [Katie] Mhm.
– And that was owned by a group of people, who kinda like faded away. They died and their relatives and descendants moved to other parts of the country because see this was like a lot of places in the south, even though I don’t really consider this the true south because we’re more cosmopolitan here, a lot of people defined work and better opportunities, they moved north.
– [Katie] Ah.
– Yeah, a lot of them, Coconut Grove went to New York, DC, Chicago, Boston, all over the place. That’s why we all have so many relatives all over the place. But there was a large group that stayed here because of the weather, really.
– [Katie] And the Caribbean, it’s–
– Yeah, yeah it was more in keeping with what they were used to here. And that was one of the reason why I came back home too because I was away in school in cold weather, which was okay for the change, that was very good experience. But after being back here for a long time and I travel up north a lot, I know now this is the best spot for me.
– [Katie] And where’d you go to school?
– I went to Howard University in Washington DC.
– [Katie] Oh wow.
– Yeah.
– Very cold.
– Yes, it’s cold. Don’t like it, yes.
– [Katie] So do you still have a lot of family here?
– Yes I do, yes I do. A lot, mostly the younger, younger members yeah. And they have different experiences than we had. You know, they’re more outgoing, lot more opportunities. The schools that they go to, we have many more high schools here for them to take advantage of. A lot more opportunities here.
– [Katie] Okay. And so, do you remember the Bloomsday festival when it started?
– Oh yes, in 1977 I believe it was. I was here for the original festival and then I got involved on the committee, which I stayed a part of for about 20 years as the treasurer and other offices that I held here. And I’m glad that we’re back on Grand Avenue and I would like for us to extend it further up to 32nd Avenue because we were traditionally from Douglas Road over to 32nd Avenue. But there have been some festival changes, route changes, because at one point we used to go up on Peacock Park on a Sunday, and also on McFarland Road. But see that’s all costly because we have to use city services and public services, and that can be very costly. Because as you know, you know, a lot of it was in kind, but then we’ve depended a lot on sales of booths like now. Yeah, but I was very glad that we brought it back here on Grand Avenue because I thought that that meant a lot to Coconut Grove and to this area in general. And of course it highlights our Bahamian culture and heritage.
– [Katie] And so, can you tell us a little bit about what that first festival was like, and in the early days?
– Well it was, everybody looked forward to it. As a matter of fact, I was surprised at the turnout, how large it was. Because it was like, oh you heard we’re gonna have this festival because actually this was like an offshoot of Goon Bay Festival in The Bahamas and they wanted to bring it over here for tourism purposes. Because that’s their largest industry, which is pretty much ours now. Even though Disney has usurped that, but whatever. Because even when our cruise ships coming here, Disney, that area up there still has been our major tourism. So that’s why I worry about that being undone. But that’s another story. But, but yeah, the first festival turned out splendid. And it was started by two gentlemen. One was Herbert Hiller, he was somebody who lived in the Grove, but he used to come over across the street there, the George Major’s Bahamian food restaurant. And they conceived this idea to have a festival on the street and they could invite the police band and, the straw vendors from The Bahamas. And that was like really something that a lot of people who are not here now, that they were willing to take advantage of. Because the only time they got to see that is when they went to The Bahamas on trips. So, and so it stuck. And it went well for several years, for almost 30 years. And then it got to be the costing, you know, got to be too much.
– [Katie] And so was there a time when this festival didn’t happen?
– Oh yeah, from 2007 to last year.
– [Katie] Oh, and what was the reason to wanna revive it?
– For us to revive it? Well, a lot of people missed it. People used to ask a lot about it, but it was a cost factor. You know everything, services had gone up for police protection, sanitation, or fire rescue, you know. And then of course the booth spaces were going up there, that cost had to go up because we had problems with the, before we dated this Department, State Revenue Department didn’t require licenses and then they required that, so then booth costs had to go up. So we got a lot of complaints about that. So we had to take a break. Then it was a few times when we had hurricane interruptions. You remember hurricane season started June 1st. So there were some cancellations on the account of that. And then a lot of the old guard kind of faded out and died, and you know, things like that happened. But I used to talk to different people who I figured that we could get together and make this happen. But people got into their family lives and other interests and stuff. But there was always the, I knew it was gonna come back at some point. And I’m very glad that we are where we are now and I just hope we could get it bigger and better.
– [Katie] Yeah. So, in your lifetime, how has the Bahamian presence here, the growth changed?
– Well, there’s a group of us, a very constant group of us who we try to get that instilled. But what happened is, we had Jamaicans who came here in mass and Haitians who came here in mass. And that all happened while I was away. When I came home, it was like all over the place and said, “Wow.” So a lot of times people say, “Oh, your family’s Jamaican?” “No, we’re Bahamian. We were here for a long, long time too.” Now there were people here from those nations before, but there was a proliferation of them that took place when they had political upheavals in their countries. Because like in Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, all those people came over here as well during that time, even though they were coming before. But before they would go up north, like to New York and Boston and those places. But then they started coming here. I mean, it’s the same kind of climate. Though that was a good choice for them. But yeah, we have a good force of people to keep that going. But see with the intermarrying, intermingling, you know, miscegenation, that it could get diluted.
– [Katie] Yeah.
– So it’s up to parents to, you know, and families to keep that going. Because what this stresses me is when some people would tell me, “Oh, you speak Spanish, where’s your family from?” “Oh, I don’t know, I think they’re Cuban.” Well you’re supposed to know that. If they’re Cuban, Puerto Rican, Columbian, you’re supposed to know that. And then it’s up to the parents to teach that. Because every part of you should be instilled in you. It just so happens with me it’s all Bahamian. Except, you know with people, I grew up, I was born and raised here, yeah. And I really feel bad sometimes about the people who live in this county. The kids, especially. In other countries, other places, most students are fluent in other languages. And I still think we need more language study here. I still think everybody should be, you know, fluent in more than one language.
– [Katie] Yeah, definitely.
– Yeah.
– [Katie] So, all of these groups that you said that you found when you moved back here after college–
– Yeah.
– [Katie] Are, are those groups still represented here, or–
– Yeah they are, very much so. Because I have friends from all of those, you know, all those groups of people, yeah. And they have events like this to keep their culture alive. And that’s very important. Extremely important.
– [Katie] So what of the, like the biggest challenges been you’ve seen about for living in the Grove? For people that are, you know–
– Oh okay, we have a gentrification factor, we have what we’re going through now because there’s a suit on the table, a lawsuit on the table of redistricting. Coconut Grove was formally under Ken Russell who you just interviewed. Okay, we were under district two, now we’re into three different districts. So that’s kinda like diluted our influence and it’s a lot of things we wanna accomplish here in the Grove. So it is important that we’re all together in this. And that’s why we have this fight now to try to get the map changed. That’ll give the grove more protection.
– [Katie] And so the people, what kind of people have you seen in recent years moving into the grove mostly?
– Mostly people who don’t know the grove as well as we do of course. And some of them don’t understand that, how important it is for us to hold onto this culture. And then you can tell people well, we’re being pushed out, don’t sell your house, don’t do this, but that’s kind of hard for people to do. You have to think about your own personal situations and how you would react. But as long as you embrace people when they move in, and that’s across the board, whether it’s White, Black, Black, White, Hispanic, whatever, I think everything will work out fine. I mean, this is a nation of immigrants, very diverse, we are, everybody wants to come here. Everybody wants to live in Great America. And it all is like, you know, we just all need to coexist, that’s all.
– [Katie] And, do you, this is kind of a random question, but do you remember Bahamians moving in your lifetime to this area?
– When I was born, a lot of them were already here. See they had come over here on different projects, like work related things back in the, like my grandfather, my father’s father came here sometime in the ’10s or the ’20s, but it had to be the ’10s, yeah. In the teens of, in the 1900s. And a lot of people came over during that time. And so that’s what kept the bond going because they both had, both my grandparents had a lot of relatives. And my mother’s parents who came here much later, they still had a lot of relatives here that they kept going and everything was passed along to their kids. But see as the kids move out, go out on their own and they intermarry with other people, it gets kind of diluted. So.
– [Katie] So you had mentioned earlier the idea this festival is like the mainland version of the same festival in The Bahamas. Have there been any other types of like, cultural exchange between this area and The Bahamas?
– Yeah, well they have the tourism office and the council general’s office. And of course they’ve interacted with us. They played a major role in the festival over the years, including this time. Because before, the Royal Bahamas Police Force band was here. And I did see on the street they have some vendors, food vendors as well as straw vendors that have come over. And see that gives it the flavor that it’s in The Bahamas. You know, it is like in Rawson Square on Bay Street. Yeah. But yeah, we’ve always interacted with them very well and then all the council generals from the other countries too, they interact with, you know, people from their native countries.
– [Katie] And have you, yourself spent time in The Bahamas?
– Yeah, not in a long time, but we’ve gone there a lot. Like that was an annual ritual that people would go over in the summers or different holidays. And of course we still have lots of relatives there, so they’re always milestones like birthdays, funerals, weddings that we attend, yeah.
– [Katie] Okay, very cool.
– Yeah.
– [Katie] Well, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
– Well, the fact that I’m glad we’re getting this opportunity to talk about the festival. And hopefully this will have a positive effect on it, you know, remaining in force. And I hope we don’t get another hiatus like we did before, basically. But I think we’re on the right track this time. Because we had the pandemic, we had a few hurricanes, we had a few funding issues. But I think we, you know, we can keep it together. And I’m very glad to be working with a group of people who I think are really committed. You know. And their purpose is the same as mine. Just to keep our heritage alive and to embrace everybody as far as participating in it. And like I attend Calle Ocho, I attend the Little Haiti festival. I mean I attend other festivals and I think that’s the way it should be. It’s all a learning experience.
– [Katie] Definitely. Well thank you so much, Clarice.
– Thank you, thank you for the opportunity.
Tangela collins
Transcript
– [Katie] Hello, today is June 10th, 2023 and my name is Katie Coldiron and I’m here interviewing.
– Tangela Collins.
– [Katie] Nice to meet you, Tangela.
– Nice to meet you.
– [Katie] Thank you for doing this with us today. So what brings you to the Goombay Festival today here?
– Well, it’s been a few years since I attended, but it’s advertised on Facebook, and a lot of my friends said that they were gonna come back out, so I said, “Let me go and see.”
– [Katie] So what is your connection to Coconut Grove?
– We have relatives that used to live in the area. A lot of older grand aunts and grand uncles that have passed on, so we have a connection from the Grove family.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. And is this family Bahamian descent, by any chance?
– I think one uncle was, did have Bahamian descent. I think so, yes.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. And what part of Miami do you currently reside in?
– I’m in the South Dade area, Richmond Heights.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. Sorry, I need to pause now. So traveling from South Dade to the Grove, that’s not very far a trip?
– It’s a little distance.
– [Katie] Ah, okay.
– Yeah, it’s about maybe 20, 25 miles from Richmond Heights here.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. And so what do you like the most about the Goombay Bay Festival?
– The culture. It’s so many different cultures here in Miami anyway, but we don’t normally get to experience the food and the people. So it’s out of the box and I’m experimenting on different things, so I’m learning different things.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. And are you a Miami native yourself?
– Yes.
– [Katie] Okay. So assuming, what you mentioned earlier that you’ve been to this festival in the past, how have you seen it change?
– Oh my God, it’s a lot more modernized. The areas is a lot more updated. We don’t have the older houses anymore. The street looks a lot clearer. It’s different. It’s different, but the culture is still there.
– [Katie] Okay. If you could, tell us a little bit about kind of, if you’re willing to share, tell me about your personal history, so you were born in Miami?
– Born and raised in Miami, 1968, lived in the same house all of that time. Government employee, unionized, completely political. What else?
– [Katie] Yeah. So where’d you go to high school?
– Miami Killian.
– [Katie] Okay.
– Go Cougars!
– [Katie] And?
– College?
– [Katie] Yeah.
– Florida A&M. Go Rattlers!
– [Katie] Okay. So you said you work in the government, could you elaborate a little more on that?
– In the education department.
– [Katie] Oh, okay.
– Helping students with disabilities to gain employment.
– [Katie] Oh, okay, in the Miami-Dade schools or?
– All Miami-Dade schools.
– [Katie] Oh, okay.
– So if they’re in special education, they would come through our office.
– [Katie] Okay. Very, very cool. How have you seen the growth change over the years?
– As far as?
– [Katie] Just, I mean everything, the demographic of the growth, what businesses.
– Oh, well there are a lot of businesses. The growth is phenomenal. There’s not a lot of grass left, buildings galore. There’s plenty of growth.
– [Katie] And so your relatives that you mentioned earlier, are any of them, are their descendants still living here in the Grove?
– Unfortunately, no.
– [Katie] Oh, okay.
– Unfortunately no, they have passed.
– [Katie] How have you seen Miami change over the course of your?
– Miami has changed tremendously. The people, the influx of different ethnicities, races, religions, everything, has populated. So there is a taste of every part of the United States and beyond here.
– [Katie] Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
– No, I’m just really great. Happy to be here. It’s a great experience. Glad you guys are doing this. Happy to participate.
– [Katie] It’s very fun. Yes, thank you so much.
– You’re welcome. You’re welcome.
Mary Henderson
Transcript
– [Interviewer] Today is is June 10th, 2023. My name is Katie Coldiron and I’m here with…
– Mary Henderson.
– [Katie] Hi Mary. Thank you so much, for doing with us today. What brings you to the Grove?
– What brings me? The music, the food, the people The excitement is going up and down, and dancing up and down the streets. Yes, it’s so wonderful.
– [Katie] Wow. Have you been to the festival before?
– Oh yes, yes indeed. Back in the eighties when it was really Goombay Goombay, I used to have a home. I was further down in the grove as well. And like every morning, you wake up and you, the trees came outta my house. It was so beautiful over there,
– [Katie] Oh okay Can you tell us a little more about what the festival was like back then?
– I mean, it was so crowded. I mean, I mean you had the music going 20. It was, the music was great, the people were great. The food, the smell, the colors, it was so vibrant you know, it was exciting. You look forward to that Goombay, I’m telling. It was, it would just be so exciting to come to Goombey. Yeah. I’m so happy that they’re bringing it back. They want to bring it back to what it was years ago. I mean I’m telling you, it’s, it’s a great vibe. It really is.
– [Katie] So, uh..
– And your friend.. I bring my kids you know. Oh my God. There was, as a matter of fact, when I was told I was coming today they were saying, mom, remember the first time that you took us to Goombey? I said I do recall. It’s unbelievable. Yes.
– [Katie] So the festival, they didn’t have it for some years, or was it?…
– Well it was, but it wasn’t, it was like you had to, the locations were not quite the same or anything like that. I mean, once we had it at, I think at one of the parks, like Rick had to go down to the road. So like this is open. You want, it would always be on Grand Avenue all the way through. So that was fun, yes
– [Katie] Alright. Umm.. So You mentioned that you used to live in the Grove. Can you tell us a little more about that, and your connection to the Grove?
– My connection to The Grove, I work at the uhh, I work with the uhh Helen Miguel, she uh, and she uh Franklin Shannon Roll Center. Right here on the on the corner of Douglas and 37. And I’m a uh receptionist there. We assist people with low income, helping people to pay for their bills. Lights, Water Things are like that when they fall on hard times, and they can’t afford to pay it at that time. So I’ve been doing that for my, like almost five years. It’s quite rewarding that people are so, people are just wonderful, you know what I’m saying? They come with advice. They’re so active. That’s what’s so wonderful about it, is working here in this area.
– [Katie] And so you used to live here, you mentioned? Yeah, I used to live farther down in the Grove, but now I didn’t move down south and now I’m back in the Grove again. [Katie] Oh, okay.
– Yes. So because I, I moved away before I was a flight attendant for 35 years with Eastern Airlines. That’s when I was doing the ‘Goombey And The Grove’. And then I went away, came back and worked for American Eagle, American Airlines as a flight attendant. So yes.
– [Katie] Wow. Okay. And so are you from the Grove originally?
– No, I was not born here. I was born in another state, yes.
– [Katie] Wow, okay.
– I moved here in 1980, 86 or 87. Yes.
– [Katie] Wow. And why did you decide to settle here?
– I’m so exciting. I mean, it was great. At first I moved, I was in Fountain View, and then I got married And me and my husband, we moved over into the other part inside the grove. cause he lived here, so yes.
– [Katie] Wow.
– Yes
– [Katie] So um, obviously the group has a lot of, you know, Bahamian Heritage talk. Has that umm, do you feel like, that’s like, strengthened your lessons since the 80’s
– Believe it or not, I think the ties are still there. People are aware of the fact, that the Gombey still goes on. And like I said, this way when it’s open like this and everybody’s coming out and it’s so open, it, it, it, it makes it stronger I think so.
– [Katie] Wow, and so obviously since you’ve been around for so long, do you mind sharing what you’ve seen in this area change a whole lot? Yes, yes. That is true. Yes.
– [Katie] Can you tell us a little bit about that. Like how it’s changed in terms of the people that live here, the businesses that are here, things Like that.
– Well I think the Grove has always been one of those places that you consider was all racial, all, you know, all, all diversities were in here from the get go. But now it’s even more, you know, it’s boys come in, because it’s never been something like, okay, it’s a predominantly black, black, black. I don’t think if I would say that. But it’s more, it’s mixed, you know, which is great. Yeah.
– [Katie] Awesome. And so in terms of, obviously the Grove has become a lot more expensive.
– Oh gosh, yes. Let’s not go there Lets not go there That is so true. I, one of my favorite restaurants used to always be Monty’s, Monty’s in the Grove. Oh my goodness. Because they would have the best salad. I would, that was my favorite thing to go get the salad from Monty’s in the Grove. Oh my God. I still remember that salad to this day. So good. cause I was just there recently. I’m like ooh, they didn’t have my salad but it was okay, you know? Yeah.
– So do you think that just that, the fact that it’s more expensive has changed? Like,
– Well it has changed quite a bit because the affordable housing is now really kind of hard. Hard for people. It really is. I get that a lot when the clients come in. They tell me they’re trying to find someplace to live, because the parts of limit is so expensive now. It’s like they’ve been out-priced out of the grove. Some people have been, if you ask me. Yes.
– [Katie] So I have a question. That’s, how have you traveled to get here?
– Not far.
– [Katie] Are you walking distance?
– Yes. Well yes, I’m right on the corner over here. Over Main, do that.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. Cool. So is there anything else you’d like to share with us today?
– I would like to thank you guys for taking the time to do this interview and get our input as to what the grove is all about and the fact that, you know, they’re gonna mention the fact about the income of people. You know, let’s not outsource the people that were the grove cause they, the behemoths came here.
– [Katie] Awesome. Well thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure.
– Thank you.
Ken Russell
Transcript
– [Katie] Hello, today is June 10th, 2023 here at Coconut Grove, and my name is Katie Coldiron and I’m interviewing:
– Ken Russell.
– [Katie] Thank you so much for Commissioner Russell for being here with us. And so, what brings you out to the Goombay Festival today?
– To see the Goombay Festival back on Grand Avenue is something that the whole community’s been waiting for for years, so I wouldn’t miss it.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. And so, what is your connection to the Grove?
– Well, I was born here and I was raising my family here. I learned of contamination in city parks. There was contamination in the park in front of my house, and I got in a fight with the city, learning that that contamination came from the incinerators in the West Grove where the garbage was burned of the whole city, upset me enough to run for office. And so I decided to try out politics.
– [Katie] Awesome. And you still live here in The Grove?
– Yes.
– [Katie] Oh okay. And so, I’m assuming you didn’t have to travel very far to get here to the festival?
– No, I, I live here in Little Bahamas.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. Speaking of, you said Little Bahamas, obviously the growth has a really strong Bahamian heritage. How have you seen that change, strengthen, or, or lessen over the years that you were here?
– Well, 120 years ago, the Bahamians came over and helped build the city, helped found the city and the world that was building around here needed the people to build, and they didn’t need this particular land at the time. So that land was gifted in exchange for the work. A hundred years later, the world of development wants the land, but not the people. And so there’s a reverse pressure now, to develop this entire area that was just known as West Grove, now little Bahamas of Coconut Grove. And the fight is to maintain that, that Bahamian character and integrity with this community. Not just the culture, the food, the music, but the people as well.
– [Katie] So when you were on City Commission, were you able to work on any projects or support the initiatives to support Bahamians living here in the Grove as descendants?
– So I sponsored the legislation that renamed the neighborhood as Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove and got that passed, and that was recognized in Congress by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. We were also able to historically designate the last remaining shotgun homes, and find the funding to help renovate all of them, as well as anyone who owns elderly, veteran, disabled homes. We did over a hundred homes in the West Grove alone for restoration, renovation, ADA Access, and we worked on zoning for affordable housing.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. And if you don’t mind me asking, did you have any pushback from your fellow commissioners, or from the Mayor’s office in any of these initiatives you’re taking?
– Well, Coconut Grove is a very special place, but for lack of a champion, it can get forgotten or pushed aside because the strength of the world of development, which tends to run the world of politics, is strong. And so, if there is someone in City Hall who is listening to the residents and pushing for the initiatives that, that they care about, the will is there. Very rarely was there political pushback on something for this neighborhood if I was fighting for it. But for lack of fighting for it, it was all slipping away very, very quickly.
– [Katie] Yeah.
– [Passer By] Thank you.
– [Katie] Okay. So, what do you see as the future given current trends?
– Today’s the Gombe Festival and it, it makes Grand Avenue feel a little more grand again,
– [Katie] Yeah.
– But in a couple days it’ll be gone. And what you’ll see here is the blight that is happening from land banking, from demolition, from evictions, from, from, you know, slumlords who take in money but don’t invest in their properties. It’s, it’s not a good moment for Coconut Grove, but it’s not lost. We’re, we’re a bit on a precipice. And I think there’s enough activism within the community that there will continue to be leadership that listens, policy makers that listen, as long as there are residents that stay here and fight for the community. So, I’m very optimistic.
– [Katie] Is there anything else you’d like to share about-
– No. I’m just, I’m just very happy to be out today with my family and enjoying Coconut Grove.
– [Katie] Okay, thank you so much sir, it’s been a pleasure to meet you. Thank you guys.
Albert Eusebio-Cocco
Transcript
– [Katie] 2023 here in Coconut Grove, Miami at the Goombay Festival. My name is Katie Coldiron and I am interviewing…
– Albert Eusebio-Cocco.
– [Katie] Nice to meet you, Albert. Thank you so much-
– Same here.
– [Katie] For doing this. So are you from Coconut Grove yourself?
– No, I’m not from the Coconut Grove, but I’ve been here since the ’80s working in one way or the other. Since 1980 I’ve been involved with the Coconut Grove.
– [Katie] Okay and where are you from originally?
– Dominican Republic.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. So how is it that you got to Miami?
– Via New York, I went to New York when I was 8 years old. I’m 65 now, and then I moved to Miami when I was like 17.
– [Katie] Ah, okay.
– And I used to work out of a grocery store right here in Coconut Grove right here. Right here in Grand Avenue. They had a big, big… A large meat market there that I worked there. Then my girlfriend, her father used to own a grocery store. So I would work at night at the grocery store right here in Grand Avenue.
– [Katie] Ah Okay. Do you still live here in Florida?
– No, I never lived here. I have work here.
– [Katie] Ah.
– Yeah.
– Okay. So how have you seen the area change?
– The reality of it you know, for some people it’s progress but a lot of people have been left out, you know? Compared to what it used to be, the race nature of the Grove is something, you feel it when you walked in here. The Grove is not something… Even people that don’t live here don’t know when they walk in, you feel the difference in Coconut Grove. It was really something special.
– [Katie] So obviously this is a historically Bahamian area of Miami. What was that like when you first got here?
– I went to see the Houses, what they used to call it back in the days. And I remember going there, looking at it, and hearing the history of when they came down to cut the sugar cane and stuff like that. By me working for the city, I used to do a tour about the black communities and one of the places we used to come would be over here in the cemetery that they got the grave on top and hear the story about it and stuff like that.
– [Katie] Wow, okay. And so from then to now, has the Bahamian presence lessened?
– Much. A lot. It’s just like today, I was telling the lady. Today I feel like this is Goombay. The first Goombay I came to, I mean, was so beautiful. It was something like this and last year it was like real sad because it was like in a little few corners hidden away, you know? So today I’m glad. I’m happy to see it like this.
– [Katie] Does this remind you of the place that you-
– The first one in the 80’s. Yes, ma’am.
– [Katie] Ah, okay. So what do you like most about the festival?
– I like the variety of the people to see the variety of people, the variety of the food, the cultures. To me, I never like living in a place that I don’t see all kind of people. I told my kids that. Well they’re all grown. I like to get up in the morning, I like to see all kind of people. To me it’s important because like they will get to know each other more. We get to treat each other more. What happen is we don’t know each other, we cannot communicate, you know? But that’s what I like about when you walk down there, you see it all. You see, I even see over here now. Yeah, in one of places they got in one of the vendors.
– [Katie] Wow, very cool. You’ve never lived here in Coconut Grove. What parts of Miami have you lived in?
– I lived in Broward a lot. I lived in Little Havana, yay. Little Havana and I lived in Fort Lauderdale, you know, mostly, and the Grove, I never lived buy I always worked here. Always, I mean always. I always have a job here. Right now, I’m working here right now. I work for the Shannon Rolle Community Center, right down the corner, helping people out with their light bills and rental and water bills and stuff like that.
– [Katie] That’s great.
– Yeah.
– [Katie] So as someone from the Dominican Republic, what’s your experience been like in Miami and in the Grove?
– In Miami? The spirit has changed. Now when you first came here, it was bit a different. But by coming from New York, that’s what we’re used to. In New York, you go into a building and you have Dominican, Puerto Rican, Afro-American, Caucasian, Chinese in the same building. So, you know, I’m used to… I like that culture. I like that mixture. I love it.
– [Katie] Very interesting and where do you currently reside?
– Right now, I moved from Broward. I live in Miami-Dade now. Miami-Dade County in Allapattah.
– [Katie] Oh, okay, so not very far.
– Yeah, not very far from here.
– [Katie] So how all of these same areas that’s been changing?
– Yeah, yeah, it really has, yeah. Yeah, it really has gotten up about. There’s no in spot right now, you know? There’s no in spot. Everything is happening now, you know? Whether new stores or restaurants they have put up. I think Obama was there like a couple of years ago. Obama was there.
– [Katie] Oh.
– Yeah, yeah, he went there. He went to Second Avenue. Yes, he did.
– [Katie] So is there anything else you’d like to share with us about your-
– No, I’m just grateful to be here and I’m so grateful to see the Goombay come back to what it used to be, you know? You don’t know. I loved it. When I walked in today, I say . Now this is Goombay. You know, for real. It is.
– [Katie] Well thank you so much, sir.
– No, thank you for your time. And have a great day. Enjoy your weekend.
– [Katie] You too.
Helen Miguel
Transcript
– [Interviewer] Hello. Today is June 10th, 2023 at the Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida And I’m interview, my name’s Katie Coldiron and I’m interviewing.
– I’m Helen, Helen Miguel.
– [Interviewer] Nice to meet you, Helen.
– Nice to meet you.
– [Interviewer] Thanks so much for doing this. What brings you out to the festival today?
– Various reasons. I work in the Grove. And in the past I’ve lived in three different areas in the Grove, but I’ve been working in Coconut Grove since 2007.
– [Interviewer] Oh, okay. What do you work in here?
– I work in government and we run a social services community center in the Grove, known as Frankie Shannon Rolle, which is a former Grovite, historical person that lived in the Grove and has family in the Grove. So we run a community center with emergency services for people dealing with evictions, sometimes electrical issues, disconnections, and we have a multitude of services that we can refer them to.
– [Interviewer] Oh, very cool. So you said you’ve lived in multiple parts of the Grove. Could you tell us a little more about that?
– When I was younger, the Grove was the place to be. We used to hang out in the Grove. This was the place to come hang out on weekends, whether it was CocoWalk or Monty’s, or the Goombay, the art festival. And we’ve been back in the day coming to the festival since we were young. But then as I got a little older, I decided I wanted to live in the Grove because it was that village effect, and very diverse, very culturally diverse, which is what we enjoyed the most and it felt like a village.
– [Interviewer] And so how has that changed from then to now?
– How do I say this without saying it? It’s changing, and it’s apparently maybe leaving a lot of people out. Some people make choices, some people are given choices to make that may be tempting, and they leave, and then you can’t come back. And a lot of it is changing. Back in the day, nobody wanted to be in the city. Everybody wanted the suburbs. Now everybody wants to come back to the city. And Grove is a hotspot, as are some of our other areas, targeted areas. And right now it’s priced out for a lot of people, the rent, and what we’re building, as long as it’s inclusive, it would be really a thriving Grove. But you have to remain true to its culture and its history.
– [Interviewer] So the Grove obviously has a historic Bahamian presence here.
– Totally.
– [Interviewer] How have you seen that change over the years?
– A lot of people have moved out, and the few that are holding on are the few that are running in all the groups trying to preserve the history and trying to bring back some more cultural events. So this hasn’t, I’ve been running the center out here since 2007. It’s the first time we bring it back to Grand Avenue since 2007. Before that it was all of Grand and highway and main highway, and it was huge. In the last few years trying to get it back, it’s been very small. So this I hope, is just an inch of the beginning of what’s to come.
– [Interviewer] Right. Wow. So are you from Miami or South originally?
– Born and raised.
– [Interviewer] What part of Miami are you from?
– All over. I’ve lived everywhere, the West Dade, South. I’m in the center now in the city of Miami. So I’ve lived all over Miami.
– [Interviewer] Wow, can you tell us a little bit about your family heritage?
– My mother’s from Honduras and my father was Lebanese.
– [Interviewer] Oh, okay.
– And they met in Philly and ended up in Miami.
– [Interviewer] How did they end up in Miami?
– They decided to leave Philadelphia, came to Miami for work.
– [Interviewer] Oh, okay. So you don’t currently live in the Grove, right?
– No, I currently only work in the Grove. I moved out because I ended up buying elsewhere. I was a renter when I was in the Grove. It was college days.
– [Interviewer] Oh, okay. Where’d you go to school?
– I went to Miami High for high school and Miami Dade College, and my master’s and bachelor’s at FIU.
– [Interviewer] Wow.
– Alumni.
– [Interviewer] Very good. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
– No, that’s it. Appreciate.
– Awesome. Thank you so much for joining us.
– Thank you.
Kimberly Anderson
Transcript
– [Interviewer] My name is Katie Coldiron. Today is June 10th, 2023, here at the Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove, and I’m interviewing..
– Kimberly Anderson.
– [Interviewer] Nice to meet you, Kimberly.
– Nice to meet you as well.
– [Interviewer] Thank you for being here with us today.
– Super excited to be here.
– [Interviewer] Awesome. So what brings you to the Goombay Festival today?
– So I came today because I hadn’t been probably since the eighties, the late eighties, and I know they had it last year but I missed it, and I said I was going to make sure that I made it this year just to support the local community. And also have a taste of the food, some of the music, and look at some of the artwork and check out some things from the Bahamian culture.
– [Interviewer] And how have you seen it change since the last time you were here to now?
– So the last time I was here I was a kid. And when you’re a kid everything seems so larger than life. I do remember lots of people in costume, lots of dancing. When I first came up today, I saw the performers walking through. But I remember it being more. So I’m thinking, it’s getting there slowly, but it’s gonna take some time to build to what it was.
– [Interviewer] Do you have family here in Coconut Grove? Are you yourself from Coconut Grove?
– So my father grew up in South Miami and had a lot of ties here in the Grove because he was Bahamian. And my mother also grew up in the South Miami area. And back in that day, in the seventies, Coconut Grove, South Miami, everything was kind of, everyone knew everyone. So they were kind of here, there and everywhere. But yes, I do have some family that grew up here.
– [Interviewer] And you mentioned your father was Bahamian. How did he get to Miami? Can you tell us a little bit about his story and his family?
– So he was actually born here in Miami, but his father migrated over from The Bahamas. I’ve actually never, I was born here in the U.S., so these kinds of events are interesting to me because it exposes me to culture that I’m not used to seeing because even growing up, it was more Americanized than it was Bahamian for me.
– [Interviewer] Do you happen to know what year your grandfather moved from the Bahamas?
– No, I don’t. I know we have our family tree information, but I have to admit, I have a need to do better in researching and connecting with my ancestors and history.
– [Interviewer] No worries. So, you still have family here in the Grove?
– No, they’ve passed on.
– [Interviewer] Oh, okay. And how have you seen the Grove change over the years?
– Oh, so, I remember, back in the day, it was like little tiny houses, I guess they were all lined up. And now you drive and everything looks so different. Because I actually work in Coral Gables, so I’m here a little bit more, and I see all the construction and everything that’s going up. So even on Grand Avenue everything looks so different. Even the college, just everything.
– [Interviewer] And so how have you seen the Bahamian presence change since?
– So it seems it’s becoming more of a diverse community. So you have a little bit of everything, and I think that’s because of the building and a lot of the people moving out. So I think a lot of the original settlers either lost their properties, or couldn’t afford their homes, or they passed on and their kids went other places. So it is definitely less of a presence, but I do think that there’s still a lot of people here who are passionate about it. Community activists and leaders. Just last night, when I went to the dinner that they had, there was a lot of people there that are still vested in the Grove and still very outspoken about the needs of the community and preserving the community. So it’s still very vibrant, even though it’s small.
– [Interviewer] Do you remember in your childhood your grandparents who were Bahamian? Do you remember what their life was like in Miami?
– No, I mean, they died when I was so young, so it’s kind of like not a lot there. So basically, the closest thing that I have come are these festivals, and that’s why we used to go all the time and then we just stopped going because they changed and now they’re bringing them back. So I even brought my daughter last night, I’m like, “Oh hey, well you’re going to go with me so that you can see and hear people and hear their stories”. Because you know, the older people tell the stories and you’ve got to be around to listen.
– [Interviewer] So where do you currently reside in Miami? Did you have to travel far to get here today?
– Well, I wouldn’t say travel far, it was at least about 30 minutes. I live down south.
– [Interviewer] Ah, okay. So —
– So there was no traffic though. On the weekend? Perfect.
– [Interviewer] That’s wonderful. But is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
– No, I’m just excited to be here and enjoying and seeing and eating, actually lots of conch fritters, my favorite Bahamian food. And that’s it.
– [Interviewer] Awesome. Thank you so much.
– Thank you.
Tyler Watts
Transcript
– [Katie] Hello, today is June 10th, 2023, here at the Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida. My name is Katie Coldiron and I’m interviewing?
– Hello, my name is Tyler Watts. I’m a 16-year-old R&B and pop artist, born and raised in Miami, Florida.
– [Katie] Thank you so much for being here with us doing this interview.
– No problem. No problem.
– [Katie] So, what part of Miami are you from or living from?
– I grew up, I was born and raised in Miami Gardens.
– [Katie] Okay.
– Yeah, around there.
– [Katie] Do you still live there?
– Yes, I do.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. Is your family from Miami as well?
– Yes. Most of my family. I have some family out in Georgia, but most of my family is in Miami.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. Are your parents from Miami Gardens as well?
– Yes, they are.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. So what brings you to the Goombay Festival today?
– Well, I heard that the Goombay Festival was a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent. And it’s also like just a thing that, I think, is beneficial for Miami in general because we don’t really get a lot of recognition out here. So I just think it’s, that’s what it is.
– [Katie] Wow. Are you performing at the festival tonight?
– Say it again?
– [Katie] Are you performing at the festival?
– I performed already.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. How did it go?
– It went great. The energy was, it was a vibe. The energy was good. It went great.
– [Katie] Awesome. Okay. And so have you seen, have you had a chance to see any of the other acts, like the Junkanoo Band that just went by?
– The only other act that I saw was the guy that went before me, which I actually know him, but I haven’t gotten a chance to see any of the other acts.
– [Katie] Oh, okay. So you know that this is a Bahamian festival. Have you learned anything new about that since you’ve been here in the festival or did you try any new food?
– I haven’t tried any new food. The only thing I got from here was that, it’s just the vibe. Like, I’m just having fun. I’m just having fun. It’s just the vibe out here.
– [Katie] Very cool. And so do you come to this area a lot for like performing, or do you have friends that live here? Do you come up here on your own?
– Not really, not really. I don’t really have any friends that stay out here.
– [Katie] Oh, okay.
– So that’s one of my first times, first time coming here.
– [Katie] What do you think of the park, the festival? What do you think of the growth? What’s it like for you?
– I think it’s very aesthetic.
– [Katie] Oh.
– I think, yeah, it’s very interesting. I just like to see like how different cultures and things like that come together. It’s just fun to see.
– [Katie] Yeah. So do you go to high school in Miami Gardens?
– Yeah. No, I go to New World School of the Arts. It’s downtown.
– [Katie] Oh, okay, very cool. I guess tell us a little bit about how you got into music.
– Yeah, so basically I started singing when I was about four or five years old. And I recorded my first song when I was 10. But before that, I would perform covers at schools and I performed at my mom and my dad’s wedding, my grandma’s anniversary. As a young kid, I would always just sing around the house and I would learn songs like this. Like, it would just come natural to me. And my parents, they thought, “This kid is special.” So they decided to take it more serious. Like I said, I recorded my first song when I was 10. Yeah, I’m just basically trying to branch out my artistry and just perfect my craft.
– [Katie] So what are your influences or who?
– Okay, my musical influences, my musical influences, I would say, are Chris Brown, very, probably my favorite artist right now, not just because he’s a great singer, but he’s a great performer in general, Michael Jackson also, of course. But a personal influence to me was my vocal coach, Miss Betty Wright, Miss B. Unfortunately she passed away. but I know I learned a lot from her. And part of the reason that I’m doing this now is because of her. So I know she’s looking down on me and I know she’s proud.
– [Katie] So what’s it like being an artist in Miami inside your age?
– It’s… I can’t tell.
– [Katie] It’s okay. What do you like most about just living here and doing it?
– I think the community. I think I like the community most. ‘Cause most of the community, they’re very supportive. They’re very supportive in what you do, especially Black entrepreneurs. They’re very supportive and I really miss the community out here.
– [Katie] Do you think you wanna be a Miami-based artist when you graduate, or are you willing to branch out?
– I would like to branch out. I would like to branch out to maybe like Georgia, New York, Philadelphia. I would like to branch out, yeah.
– [Katie] Okay, and where do you have music out right now that people can look up on streaming?
– Yes. My Instagram is @therealtylerwatts and you can find me on any other major streaming platform and you can just type in Tyler Watts, my name should pop up.
– [Katie] Okay. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
– Thank you for allowing me to do this interview.
– [Katie] Of course.
– I would also like to say I’m dropping my merch line soon, so make sure y’all stay tuned for that. And yeah, I just appreciate you for having me.
– [Katie] Thank you so much. It’s been great.
– Mm-hmm.
William Ferguson
Transcript
– William Dollar Bill Ferguson, holler for the dollar and I’ll holler back.
– [Interviewer] Thank you so much for doing this with us today. So as you mentioned, you’re from the Grove originally, right?
– Yes. I’ve been here 25 years. I’ve been performing here as well. A lot of people didn’t know. They see me on the streets, but when they see me on stage, I’m a whole different persona. [Interviewer] Oh really?
– I actually perform simultaneously two of the biggest festivals in South Florida, Taste of the Grove and the Arts Festival as a headliner with a group called Pocket Change. And then I’ve also been a part of a newspaper reporting things in the community called “The South Florida Brick.” It was no longer in existence, but I had a pretty good inroads with this community as far as what’s happening.
– [Interviewer] Wow. So, obviously this is a community with a really strong Bahamian heritage. How have you seen that change since ?
– Well, as anything, everything must change. Coconut Grove, they’ve been fighting to maintain their identity and their role in the culture and the building of Miami, being it was one of the first incorporated. And from, say, Coconut Grove begat Overtown begat Liberty City, okay? So this is basically the start of a lot of things in Miami, and some folks just don’t recognize or realize that history, okay? Matter of fact, it started in conjunction with Coral Gables. Okay? The Vanderbilts, the railroad system, that was what was happening because everybody’s, their relatives came building railroads in the city.
– [Interviewer] And so are you from Miami originally?
– My mother and father are originally from Miami. I was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This is home base, and my roots are out of Cat Island from Nassau.
– [Interviewer] Wow, okay.
– I’m part of that big… the Ferguson tree is a large tree with very many roots that run deep up the coast to Savannah.
– [Interviewer] Very cool. So, does staying in the Grove allow you to kind of connect to that heritage?
– It’s not hard at all. It’s not hard at all. Growing up, my father, like I said, my father was military, so we traveled from different continents, but we always kept in touch with some parts of the roots, you know, and that’s for every family. You come across people, and all of a sudden you know somebody in common or somebody that looks like somebody you know, and then, “Oh man, that’s my family. I know them,” you know, ’cause we’re all connected.
– [Interviewer] So, do you know about any of your family’s history going back to the Bahamas, like, grandparents or anything like that?
– Again, I can’t comment a lot on what they did. All I know is I was the beneficiary of some of the food that I grew up with.
– [Interviewer] What types of Bahamian food are your favorites?
– We’re talking about conch, shrimp, the seafood, fish, you know, rice and peas. And it’s funny, because every country has a version of rice and peas, okay? It’s the way they do it sometimes with coconut. It’s the difference between the foods, between the countries are the seasonings.
– [Interviewer] So, have you been to this festival before?
– Yes, I have. And some folks didn’t realize it. Right now, what you see is an older, much more knowledgeable individual this fellow is mature, okay?
– [Interviewer] So, how’s the festival changed, like, since you were last here to now?
– Well, it went through some changes COVID came around and did what it did to everybody, okay? And there wasn’t a loss of interest, it’s just that things had to recover and take on a new direction.
– [Interviewer] Yeah. And do you perform here in the Grove?
– Well, like I said, 15 years, the Taste of the Grove, the Arts Festival, simultaneously a headliner. Okay. And that was just it. We did the, my group at that time, which is Pocket Change, were the headliners. The group that I’m with now, known as the Time Machine, they have not gotten introduced to Coconut Grove and its culture. And we do Motown, rock and roll, funk, and soul, and maybe a little bit of country too. But the fact that they have an in to Coconut Grove and make things happening, that’s all we can ask for, just the opportunity.
– [Interviewer] And what do you like the most about living and working here in the Grove?
– I’m here and nobody can find me, so I got peace of mind. See, I’ll tell you like this, it’s like this. You see, now you see me without my glasses on, right? Okay, Clark Kent, Superman. Matter of fact, today was a good example. A lot of these people know me on the streets and I said, “I’ll be on stage.” “Oh, he just talking.” They see me on stage with the group, the Legends of Soul, LOS, phenomenal group. And they said, “He’s actually doing it.” And I’m like, “No, I’m not actually doing it. We are. The Legends of Soul with the Dollar Bill.”
– [Interviewer] So, you already performed. How did it go?
– It went fantastic. It went fantastic being that with the logistics of the streets for the stage, there are two stages out here. And they were able to draw the crowd to this end, to the end we were, because of the excitement, and the hype, and the material that we used was something that everybody could relate to.
– [Interviewer] In what sense?
– It took them back to old school when music was music, when you couldn’t wait to hear certain songs when you got out for summer. And you got the next hit right there, the summer hit, something everybody was dancing, new dances and good times. That’s what it reminds them of. Good times.
– [Interviewer] And so what are your musical influences?
– What’s what?
– [Interviewer] What are your musical influences, or who are your musical influences?
– My musical influences? Well back in the day, anybody who was a superstar, whether it was Glen Campbell, Johnny Clash, Gladys Knight, the Osmonds, or the Jacksons. They had a TV show, Sonny and Cher. These were people who were constantly there. And you had Motown. Motown was music not made for one group of people. Motown was made for everybody. It was nonviolent, and it was something that you could go out there and dance to. A lot of the latest dances were from Motown, you know, the music Motown influenced.
– [Interviewer] Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
– You know, I want to thank you for allowing me to interview with you and give you the take of a Grovite, also an artist, as someone who can connect with the community more so than a lot of people know.
– [Interviewer] Thank you so much.
– Thank you very much.
