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Dr. Enid C. Pickney (1931 - 2024)
Enid Curtis Pinkney was born (1931) in Miami, Florida in Overtown of Bahamian parentage, and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1949. She received a B. A. degree from Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama in Social Science; an M. S. degree from Barry University, Miami, Florida in Guidance and Counseling, and three Honorary Doctorate Degrees in Humane Letters from: St. Thomas University, Miami, Florida; Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama; and Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Pinkney worked as a social worker from 1953 to 1955, after which she worked in the Dade County Public School System until she retired as Assistant Principal at South Miami Middle School in 1991.
She joined the Dade Heritage Trust historic preservation organization in the mid-1980s. She was elected the first black president of the Trust in1998. Dr. Pinkney was the founder of the African American Committee, which focused on the contributions of blacks to the community. She led the Community in saving the Miami Circle from demolition while president of Dade Heritage Trust.
Dr. Pinkney’s ability to lead and to galvanize the community to action was undeniable. She also served as the president of Natives of Dade (1st African American), president of the Brownsville Neighborhood Civic Association (past), and served as a member of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, where she gave leadership in stopping the City of Miami from building an Eco-tourist Resort on the “Colored” Beach which the City of Miami had closed in 1982, but wanted opened as a Resort in 1999. Again, she used the media to inform the public of what was going on.
She was Founding President/CEO of The Historic Hampton House Community Trust, Inc. where she saved the Historic Hampton House Motel from demolition by Miami Dade County, and persuaded Miami Dade County to buy the building to restore it. It is the only Black Motel still existing in Miami from the days of segregation. Her method of using the media to inform the public and motivating citizens to attend city and County Commission meetings paid off.
Additionally, she was the organizer and former chair of the Lemon City Cemetery Community Corporation, where she gave leadership to the preservation of a Black abandoned Cemetery. Historically, wherever there has been a need, Dr. Pinkney would attempt to fill it by calling on others to join her to establish an organization designed to meet the need. In an effort to preserve the history, Dr. Pinkney did not left one stone unturned. She has authored articles and chapters in books, produced as well as was featured in documentaries, produced television programs, etc.
Based on her dedication and work in preserving the history of Miami, Dr Pinkney has received numerous awards, recognitions, and appointments. A few of these are: induction into the Talladega College and the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Hall of Fames; honored by the Coalition of Women, The History Makers, The Native People of Miami, and the M. Athalie Range Cultural Arts Foundation, Inc.; and appointed to the Advisory Board of “The Circle” by Florida’s Secretary of State, Katherine Harris. Not to mention being honored by: The Bahamian Government, and being named by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson as one of the twenty outstanding Bahamian Americans in Miami. Dr. Pinkney received national recognition when she received the Peter H. Brink National Award for the Individual Outstanding Achievement in Historic Preservation at the National Conference of Historic Preservation in Spokane, Washington on November 2, 2012. In addition, Dr. Pinkney was awarded the G. Bernard Callen, Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer from the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC). The award recognizes and honors outstanding efforts and achievements by local historic preservation commissions and individuals. The award was announced in May 2024 and was awarded posthumously in August 2024.
Dr. Pinkney’s very accomplished life ended unexpectedly and with great sympathy for her loss on July 18, 2024.
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