The Coconut Grove Goombay Festival celebrates the Bahamian Heritage and Culture of Coconut Grove and it's legacy of it's Bahamian-rooted community. We joined past guests together for this interview in order to hear Coconut Grove elders share new stories, understand similarities in their experience, and hear how important the Goombay Festival has been in their lives and the culture of Coconut Grove.

Access podcast transcript here: https://go.fiu.edu/CGStoriesTranscript

Recorded on June 12th, 2022.

(The views and opinions expressed in every episode of "Coconut Grove Stories: Race, Risk, and Resilience" belong to the guest speaker of the episode and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of FIU. Topics and opinions discussed in this podcast are meant to bring light to new ideas and give our guests a platform to reflect on their opinions for the sake of education and exploration.)

Access podcast transcript here: https://go.fiu.edu/CGStoriesTranscript

Reynold Martin

Married with three kids.Born 70 years ago from Bahamian parents.FSU graduate and former firefighter, lawyer, teacher and bus operator.A die hard community activist with emphasis in youth development.

Clarice Cooper

Clarice Cooper is a native Miamian and a proud, lifelong resident of Coconut Grove.  Her family has Bahamian roots, and boasts a presence in Coconut Grove dating back to the early 1900's. Currently, Ms. Cooper is the President of the Coconut Grove Village West Homeowners and Tenants Association (HOATA), an organization of which she has been a member for almost four decades.  She holds an office in the Coconut Grove Democratic Club, Elizabeth Virrick Park Committee, Grove Rights and Community Equity, Inc. (GRACE), Co-Captain of the West Grove Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and is a member of the West Grove Crime Watch and the Lola B. Walker Homeowners Association.  She has also served on the boards of St. Alban's, St. Martin de Porres Association and the Miami/Bahamas Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove.  Clarice has assisted in organizing and promoting several community events.

(The views and opinions expressed in every episode of "Coconut Grove Stories: Race, Risk, and Resilience" belong to the guest speaker of the episode and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of FIU. Topics and opinions discussed in this podcast are meant to bring light to new ideas and give our guests a platform to reflect on their opinions for the sake of education and exploration.)

Access podcast transcript here: https://go.fiu.edu/CGStoriesTranscript

Dr. George A. Simpson, a medical and social trailblazer and activist, a civil rights leader in Miami-Dade in the early 60's. A front-line worker during the AIDS epidemic in Miami-Dade, a doctor, and African-American, and a resident of Coconut Grove for 64 years.

Gregory Simpson a property developer and provider of elderly and affordable housing in Coconut Grove and the city of Opa Locka. A youth sponsor and former Boy Scout leader and a lifetime Coconut Grove resident.

(The views and opinions expressed in every episode of "Coconut Grove Stories: Race, Risk, and Resilience" belong to the guest speaker of the episode and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of FIU. Topics and opinions discussed in this podcast are meant to bring light to new ideas and give our guests a platform to reflect on their opinions for the sake of education and exploration.)

Access podcast transcript here: https://go.fiu.edu/CGStoriesTranscript

Fredericka Brown

Born, Fredericka Simmons, later married and changed to Brown, has lived in West Coconut Grove formally known as “Colored Town.” She grew up on Charles Avenue and later moved to Franklin Avenue in Coconut Grove. She attended Coconut Grove Training School now, George Washington Carver Elementary School. She later went on to attend Bethune-Cookman University earn her B.S. in childhood development education. She moved back to West Coconut Grove and began her educational career as an elementary school teacher.

Thelma Gibson

Mrs. Thelma Vernell Anderson Gibson spent all of her childhood and early adulthood on Charles Avenue in West Coconut Grove, formally known as “Colored Town”. St. Augustine University School of Nursing in Raleigh, NC. After graduating, she returned home and started her nursing career at Jackson Memorial Hospital (Main facility) in Miami, FL.

(The views and opinions expressed in every episode of "Coconut Grove Stories: Race, Risk, and Resilience" belong to the guest speaker of the episode and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of FIU. Topics and opinions discussed in this podcast are meant to bring light to new ideas and give our guests a platform to reflect on their opinions for the sake of education and exploration.)