|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Prior to the outbreak of Coronavirus across the nation, 2020 had been a landmark year for Miami Gardens as the City launched the year hosting Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers went head to head. Off the football field, Miami Gardens also became home to another history-making moment. For the first time in NFL history, the Mayors of the host City and the home Cities of both Super Bowl teams were all black.
Celebrating this historic moment, Mayor Oliver G. Gilbert III graciously welcomed fellow Mayors Quinton Lucas of Kansas City and London Breed of San Francisco to Miami Gardens.
“It’s significant not just because we are three Black mayors, but also because of the diversity of the Cities that we represent,” said Mayor Gilbert about the memorable union. “Our collective representation illustrates the vastness and diversity of Black leadership in America.”
A native son of Miami Gardens, Mayor Gilbert has served on the City Council since 2008, and became the City’s second Mayor in 2012. Better known as “Mayor Q,” Lucas became only the third African-American Mayor of Kansas City when he was elected in 2019. Mayor Breed also made history when she became the first black woman and second woman overall to be elected Mayor of San Francisco in 2018.
BRIDGING HISTORY
The 2020 Super Bowl also provided another moment recognizing black leadership as the new Hard Rock Stadium Pedestrian Bridges in Miami Gardens were named in honor of Mayor Oliver G. Gilbert III and State Senator Oscar Braynon II.
At the official ribbon cutting, both officials were hailed for their commitment to protecting the community and expanding opportunities. Mayor Gilbert’s bridge crosses over Northwest 199th Street on the south side of the stadium. Senator Braynon’s bridge crosses over Florida’s Turnpike exit ramp on the east side of the stadium. The $15 million project was designed to improve public safety. “There was really a true sense of community in how we got this done because it took the City, the state, it took the Dolphins — it really took us all,” said Gilbert. “We did it for the community.”
