Liberty City is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States. The area is roughly bound by NW 79th Street to the north, NW 27th Avenue to the west, the Airport Expressway (SR 112) to the south, and Interstate 95 to the east. The Miami neighborhood is home to one of the largest concentrations of black Americans in South Florida, as of 2000^[update] Census.^[1][2]

It is serviced by the Miami Metrorail at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and Brownsville stations along NW 27th Avenue. Currently, construction is underway to expand the Metro from Earlington Heights near Allapattah to the new Miami Central Station at Miami International Airport.^[3]

History[link]

Once a part of the sparsely populated outskirts of northern Miami, what became Liberty City developed during the Great Depression of the 1930s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the construction of the Liberty Square housing project in 1933, the first of its kind in the Southern United States. Built as a response to the deteriorating housing conditions in densely-populated and covenant-restricted slums of Overtown, construction on the initial housing project began in 1934 and opened in 1937.

Into the 1940s and 1950s, the growing Liberty City and adjacent Brownsville thrived as a middle income black American community, hosting several churches, hospitals, and community centers. The area served as home to prominent figures such as Kelsey Pharr, M. Athalie Range (the first African American to elected serve on the Miami city commission) and boxer Muhammad Ali. Although segregation laws prohibited black Americans from resting and residing in popular Miami Beach, service establishment and resorts such as the Hampton House catered to and entertained the likes of notables such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Althea Gibson, and even whites such as Mickey Mantle.

Construction of Interstate 95 in Florida in Overtown and declining use of restrictive covenants in the wake of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 dramatically altered the neighborhood into the 1960s. Increasing numbers of lower income elderly and welfare-dependent families migrated to the Liberty City neighborhood following their displacement primarily from inner city Overtown, leading to large-scale black flight of middle and higher income African Americans and other blacks like West Indian Americans largely to suburban areas like Florida City and Miami Gardens in southern and northern Dade County, respectively.

Crime grew prevalent in the increasingly poverty-stricken area in the immediate post-Civil Rights era of the 1960s and 1970s. The ensuing problems of the poor and disenfranchised grew most apparent and notable in race riots which occurred in Liberty City in August 1968 during the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, and in 1980 following the acquittal of police officers charged with the killing Arthur McDuffie.

The plight of inner-city black Miamians increasingly came to be highlighted in national press into the 1980s as the Hurricanes football team of the University of Miami won several national college football championships led by players recruited from the mostly black, lower income neighborhoods such as Liberty City and Overtown. National exposure continued with the popularity of nationally broadcast programs such as the NBC crime drama Miami Vice, which brought the deteriorating conditions of the area to greater prominence.

Into the 1990s and 2000s, the music grew to reflect the area with locals such as Luther Campbell of the 2 Live Crew pioneering the Miami bass genre which dominated Southern hip hop music during the decade. Other music and sports talents rose to national prominence from area such as rappers Trina and Trick Daddy and NFL players Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson and Willis McGahee.

Demographics[link]

In 2000, Liberty City had a population of 23,009^[4] and 43,054^[5] residents, with 7,772 households, and 5,428 families residing in the neighborhood. The median household income was $18,809.87. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 3.04% Hispanic or Latino of any nationality, 94.69% Black, 0.59% White, and 1.68% Other races (non-Hispanic).^[4]

The zip codes for the Liberty City include 33127, 33142, 33147, and 33150. The area covers 5.968 square miles (15.46 km²). In 2000, there were 19,286 males and 23,768 females. The median age for males was 25.9 years, while the median age for females was 30.3 years. The average household size had 3.1 people, while the average family size had 3.7 members. The percentage of married-couple families (among all households) was 20.3%, while the percentage of married-couple families with children (among all households) was 9.1%, and the percentage of single-mother households (among all households) was 33.1%. The percentage of never-married males 15 years old and over was 21.9%, while the percentage of never-married females 15 years old and over was 29.7%.^[5]

In 2000, 2.7% of the population spoke little to no English. The percentage of residents born in Florida was 74.5%, the percentage of people born in another U.S. state was 16.7%, and the percentage of native residents but born outside the U.S. was 0.8%, while the percentage of foreign born residents was 7.9%.^[5]

Education[link]

Miami-Dade County Public Schools operates area public schools:

Elementary schools[link]

• Lillie C. Evans Elementary School
• Poinciana Park Elementary School
• Liberty City Elementary School
• Holmes Elementary School
• Charles R. Drew Elementary School
• Olinda Elementary School
• Orchard Villa Elementary School
• Lenora Braynon Smith Elementary School
• Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary School
• Earlington Heights Elementary School

Middle schools[link]

• Brownsville Middle School
• Charles R. Drew Middle School

High schools[link]

• Miami Northwestern Senior High School

Colleges[link]

• Miami Dade College

Libraries[link]

Miami-Dade Public Library operates area public libraries:

• Model City Library

Transportation[link]

The Miami Metrorail services the neighborhood at the following stations:

•      Earlington Heights (Airport Expressway and West 22nd Avenue)
•      Brownsville (North 52nd Street and West 27th Avenue)
•      Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza (North 62nd Street/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and West 27th Avenue)

Notable residents[link]

• Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr.
• M. Athalie Range
• Carrie P. Meek
• Luther Campbell
• Ky-mani Marley
• Darlyne Chauve
• Udonis Haslem
• Mickey Rourke
• Montel Vontavious Porter
• Trick Daddy
• Trina
• Chad Ochocinco
• Bershawn Jackson
• Jacki-O
• Darnell Jenkins
• Betty Wright
• Marcus Forston
• Jacory Harris
• Sean Spence
• Tyrone Mook Holloman
• Teddy Bridgewater
• John Marks-Tallahassee Mayor

State Representative Cynthia Stafford

See also[link]

• Liberty City Riots
• Liberty Square
• Miami Workers Center
• Nation of Yahweh
• New Covenant Presbyterian Church of Miami

References[link]

External links[link]

• Photo Essay: Fitting Tribute by Hank Willis Thomas

v t e Neighborhoods of Miami Allapattah · Bay Point · Bayside · Belle Meade · Brickell · Brickell Key · Buena Vista · Civic Center · Coconut Grove · Coral Gate · Coral Way · Design District · Dodge Island · Downtown · Edgewater · Flagami · Grapeland Heights · Jewelry District · Lemon City · Liberty City · Little Haiti · Little Havana · Little River · Lummus Park · Midtown · Morningside · Omni · Overtown · Park West · Shenandoah · Shorecrest · Silver Bluff · Spring Garden · The Roads · Upper Eastside · Venetian Islands · Virginia Key · Watson Island · West Flagler · Wynwood

Coordinates: 25°49′54″N 80°13′29″W / 25.831801°N 80.224829°W / 25.831801; -80.224829

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010)

Richard Bona
Bona performing in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Bona Pinder Yayumayalolo
Born	(1967-10-28) October 28, 1967 (age 44) Minta, Cameroon
Genres	Jazz fusion, jazz
Occupations	Musician, composer
Instruments	Bass guitar, double bass, percussion, vocals, guitar, balafon
Labels	Universal Music, Columbia, Sony, Verve, GRP
Associated acts	Pat Metheny Group, Zawinul Syndicate
Website	www.bonatology.com

Richard Bona (born October 28, 1967 in Minta, Cameroon) is a jazz bassist and musician. His actual African name, as he said live in Montreal in a show with Bobby McFerrin, is Bona Pinder Yayumayalolo.^{[citation needed]}

Biography[link]

Bona was born into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a young age. His grandfather was a griot-- a West African singer of praise and storyteller-- and percussionist, and his mother was a singer. At 4 years old, Bona started to play the balafon. At the age of 5, he began performing at his village church. Not being wealthy, Bona made many of his own instruments: including flutes and guitars (with cords strung over an old motorcycle tank).

His talent was quickly noticed, and he was often invited to perform at festivals and ceremonies. Bona began learning to play the guitar at age 11, and in 1980 aged just 13, he assembled his first ensemble for a French jazz club in Douala.^[1] The owner befriended him and helped him discover jazz music and, notably including Jaco Pastorius in particular, whose work inspired Bona to switch his focus to the electric bass.

Bona emigrated to Germany at the age of 22 to study music in Düsseldorf,^[1] soon relocating to France, where he furthered his studies in music.

Whilst in France, he regularly played in various jazz clubs, sometimes with players such as Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Jacques Higelin and Didier Lockwood.

In 1995, Richard left France and established himself in New York, where he still lives and works. In New York he played bass guitar with artists like Joe Zawinul, Larry Coryell, Michael and Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, George Benson, Brandford Marsalis, Chaka Khan, Bobby McFerrin, and Steve Gadd.

In 1998, Richard was the Musical Director on Harry Belafonte's European Tour.

His first solo album, Scenes from My Life, was released in 1999. He has also been prominently featured in Jaco Pastorius Big Band albums, as well as many other albums by various top-tier jazz musicians.

In 2002 Bona went on a world tour with the Pat Metheny Group as a percussionist/vocalist.

In 2005 Bona released his fourth album Tiki, which included a collaboration with John Legend on one track, entitled "Please Don't Stop."

He currently holds a professorship of music at New York University.

Discography[link]

Richard Bona, 3 August 2006

• 1999 : Scenes from my life Columbia Jazz
• 2000 : Kaze Ga kureta Melody, Columbia Jazz
• 2001 : Reverence, Columbia Jazz
• 2003 : Munia: The Tale, Universal Music France
• 2004 : Toto Bona Lokua, No Format! with Lokua Kanza & Gerald Toto
• 2005 : Tiki, Universal Music France
• 2008 : Bona Makes You Sweat - Live, Universal Jazz France
• 2009 : The Ten Shades Of Blues, Universal Jazz France

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richard Bona

• Official website