Enid Pinkney saved the Miami motel where MLK and Ali once stayed. Now, it’s honoring her

My dear friend Dr. Enid C. Pinkney is a Miami-Dade County icon. For as long as I have known her — and that’s a lot of years, Enid has worked for the betterment of the entire community. Now the octogenarian has is retiring.

At 3 p.m. Nov. 10, there will be luncheon in her honor at the Historic Hampton House, 4240 NW 27th Ave. The luncheon will also celebrate Pinkney’s 88th birthday.

It is fitting that the event will be at the Hampton House, once known as one of the finest black entertainment venues. Over the years, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and other prominent blacks leaders, sports figures and entertainers have stayed at the Brownsville motel.

Thanks to Pinkney, the founding president and CEO of the Historic Hampton House Community Trust, Inc., the venue is fast returning to its roots.

Since 2001, Pinkney has worked on preserving the historic black landmark and was instrumental in saving it from the demolition ball. She also held fundraising events and led the project restoring the facility.

It was project she and her late husband Frank, who died in 2018, shared. Both had grown up in Miami (Enid was born here of Bahamian parents), and were educated in Miami Dade’s public schools. Frank was a graduate of Dorsey High School, while his wife was a dedicated alumna of Booker T. Washington Junior/Senior High School.

She did her undergraduate studies at Talladega College in Alabama. She earned her master’s in guidance and counseling from Barry University. She two honorary doctorate degrees — one from St. Thomas University, and the other from Talledega College.

“This is a bittersweet event because Frank is not here to share it with me,” she said. “We work together so well on so many events. I miss him every day. I will miss him at the event, but I know his spirit will be with me.”

The program will feature several speakers, including former students Bishop Noward Dean, the regional presbyter of the Church of God of Prophecy, and Dr. Henry Coaxum of Coaxum Enterprises of New Orleans.

Dr. Edward G. Robinson and the Instant Attraction Band will provide the music, along with the Miami Junkanoo Bahamas Brass Band, directed by Reginald Laing. Rodney Baltimore will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Tickets are $100 per person. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Historic Hampton House Community Trust, Inc.

When asked what she will be doing in retirement, Enid let out one of her hearty laughs and said, “I’ll still be helping out wherever I can.”

Kristallnacht commemoration

Members of Miami-Dade County ‘s Protestant community will join with the Jewish community at 6 p.m. Nov. 10 to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, which marks the beginning of the Holocaust.

On that night, over eight decades ago, the streets in Germany and Austria were covered with broken glass from the windows of the more than 6,000 Jewish homes, of synagogues, and stores that were destroyed and/or vandalized during the attacks. Torah scrolls were desecrated and more than 90 German and Austrian Jews died that night, while over 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps.

The event will take place at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, 1933-1945 Meridian Ave. Dr. Peter Ranis, 84, a Holocaust survivor, will be the keynote speaker.

Ranis was 3 years old on that fateful night in 1938, when his father, who was president of a synagogue in Darmstadt, Germany, was captured by Nazi soldiers while trying to save a Torah. He was later sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany.

He escaped and fled to England. Meanwhile, Ranis, his mother and his older brother boarded a ship headed for America in 1941, only to be diverted to Cuba, where they lived for two years before being reunited with his father in Connecticut.

The free event will also feature the South Florida Jewish Chorale, with prayers led by local rabbis and cantors, and presentations from local community leaders.

Florida Pioneer Museum looking for volunteers

The Florida Pioneer Museum at 826 N. Krome Ave. in Florida City is getting ready for the 2019-2020 season and will open at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9.

Karon Grunwell is the museum’s new president. Bob Jenson, who served as president for several years, moved with his family to San Antonio last year to be closer to family.

Grunwell said the museum is in dire need of volunteers. If you are interested, she said, “... you don’t have to have any particular skills, just a love of South Florida History.”

She said in the past college students have volunteered to earn their community service hours.

Call the museum at 305-246-9531.

A tribute to veterans

The Veterans Day Salute and Tribute to all veterans will be at 10 a.m. Nov. 10 at Greater Harvest Baptist Church, 2310 NW 58th St. in Liberty City.

The free event is presented in collaboration with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 471 and the Vietnam Veterans of America.

For information, contact Alvin W. Roberts at 786-385-2634 or email him at: Alvin@cilsf.org.

Educator recognized for social justice work

A warm Neighbors in Religion salute to educator Dr. Shirley B. Johnson, who was honored recently by the Miami-Dade School Board for her “historic and groundbreaking legacy in education and social justice in Miami Dade County.

School Board member Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall initiated the honors.

Johnson had a career that spanned over 40 years as a teacher and administrator in Miami-Dade County Schools. She is also a former president of the Miami-Dade Branch of the NAACP.

Johnson was recognized during the Oct. 2 School Board meeting.

This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 6:00 AM.