Richmond Heights Brunch Honors Historic Milestone
Black History Month Kicks Off with Powerful Celebration at Richmond Heights 76th Anniversary Brunch
MIAMI – Beneath clear South Florida skies, generations of residents, leaders, and community builders gathered at the Florida Room at Zoo Miami for the 76th Anniversary Richmond Heights Brunch. The Historic Society hosted the event. The annual celebration marked both a milestone for the community and the opening of Black History Month. It featured reflection, recognition, and resolve.
Honoring a Legacy Built to Last
Founded in 1949 as one of the nation’s first communities created for African American World War II veterans and their families, Richmond Heights has long stood as a symbol of opportunity, homeownership, and collective progress. Seventy-six years later, that legacy remains deeply rooted. It is also very much alive.
Jessica Garrett Modkins, Executive Director of The Historic Society, welcomed guests with a call to purpose. She reminded the room that preserving history is active work.
“We are the protectors of our past and the curators of our collective memory,” she shared. “And we will continue telling these stories—boldly and beautifully.”
Honorees
This year’s brunch placed a spotlight on the businesses and organizations that power Richmond Heights’ economic foundation. It honored their role in sustaining opportunity and building generational wealth. The 2026 honorees included:
- L. Brown Development
- Manifezt Foundation
- Mike & Jackie’s BBQ & Catering Services
- Richmond Heights Community Development Corporation
- SBC Community Development Corporation
Each was recognized for deep-rooted service, leadership, and long-term investment in the community they call home.
A Message from County Leadership
Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor of Miami-Dade County, delivered the keynote greeting, grounding her remarks in both history and forward momentum.
“Black history is Miami-Dade history,” she said, acknowledging Richmond Heights as a model of community-driven growth. “The strength of Richmond Heights has always been its people—and the heart of its economy has always been small businesses.”
She praised local entrepreneurs as leaders not only within the neighborhood, but across the county, noting Miami-Dade’s national standing as a top destination for new small business creation. The Mayor closed by thanking The Historic Society for its role in preserving the community’s story and bringing people together across generations.
A New Generation Steps Forward
One of the most memorable moments of the afternoon came from Dallas Garrett Modkins, Teen President of Jack and Jill of America – South Miami Chapter, who delivered an original address titled “Black to the Future: Powered by Legacy, Driven by Vision.”
With clarity and conviction, Dallas reframed legacy as a responsibility—not a resting place.
“To be Black in America is to live in the past, present, and future all at once,” he said. “Legacy without vision becomes nostalgia. And vision without action becomes a dream deferred.”
Drawing from personal experiences and encounters with leaders such as Madam C.J. Walker’s great-great-granddaughter and Dr. Bernice King, he challenged his generation to move beyond survival. He called on them to move into design.
“We’re not just surviving systems—we’re redesigning them.”
His remarks concluded with a standing ovation. This captured the spirit of the day: honoring where the community has been while intentionally shaping where it is going.
Momentum Beyond the Moment
The brunch blended meaning with celebration, set to smooth jazz by Al Johnson, “The Sax Man,” and accompanied by a benefit drawing supporting the Patricia Harper Garrett Educational Fund. Last year, the fund awarded a $5,000 scholarship to a student at Bethune-Cookman University, continuing Richmond Heights’ longstanding commitment to education.
Guests were also surprised with the announcement of a new partnership with Paradise Television Network (WDFL, Channel 18.2). Through the collaboration, The Historic Society’s documentaries will air throughout Black History Month, including:
- HBCU Honors
- HBCU Homecomings
- Miami’s Richmond Heights: The Black Shangri-La
The broadcast partnership expands the reach of Richmond Heights’ story. It ensures its cultural and historical impact is shared with audiences across South Florida.
Richmond Heights is more than a place—it is a living testament to vision, resilience, and Black excellence, carried forward by those who remember its past and invest in its future.
