{"id":48208,"date":"2025-12-16T22:04:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T03:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/?p=48208"},"modified":"2025-12-16T22:04:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T03:04:58","slug":"our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: Miami Herald- https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/community\/miami-dade\/article311507907.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n

N. Patrick Range II has heard his grandmother M. Athalie Range\u2019s stories about the history of Virginia Key Beach Park \u2014 the memories of taking the ferry to visit the island, hosting celebrations and churches holding sunrise services. But the conversations he remembers most are about the fight for preserving it: Hearing his grandmother \u2014 the first Black person to serve on the Miami city commission \u2014 trying to get people to understand that the beach was worth saving at a time when there was consideration given to selling off the beachfront to private developers. His grandmother, he said, understood the deeply held memories of a community who made Virginia Key Beach Park, Miami\u2019s Blacks-only beach, a sacred place and the significance it held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more: It started as a Blacks-only beach. A lot of Miami history has been made on Virginia Key<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe understood that, and understood the importance of the community, and understood the importance of our youth and those who hadn\u2019t even been born yet, being able to enjoy and appreciate the park, and not just Black people, but also the entirety of the Miami community, understanding what this was and what it meant for us,\u201d Range said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An archival photo of a Black family enjoying a day at Virginia Key Beach Park. Historic Virginia Key Beach Park cjuste@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Range, 48, said the restoration of the park is critical at a time when the preservation of Black history faces political headwinds across the state and nationwide. But as the park celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, he envisions more, including the promise of a long-planned Black history museum that would highlight the Black immigrant story in Miami. \u201cThe idea was that because of the historical significance of Virginia Key in our history here in Miami, that this would be an ideal place to showcase a history museum dedicated to the Black immigrant experience, and also to give some a nod and recognition to those who were here before us, like the Native Americans who certainly have presence here and significance here in this land,\u201d Range said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Athalie Range in December 1995. Al Diaz\u00a0Herald Staff<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Athalie Edwards, who was named for Range\u2019s grandmother, is the chair of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, and says that the park is making progress on necessary upgrades to their amenities such as the train and carousel, holdovers from the park\u2019s early days during Jim Crow. \u201cWe\u2019re working on it, however, we would like to present the information to the public all at one time,\u201d she said, adding she wasn\u2019t at liberty to discuss the matter further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The train that used to go around Virginia Key, taking children on train rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plans for a museum do appear to be marching forward. At a May 13 Key Biscayne village council meeting, Edwards announced a groundbreaking ceremony for the museum scheduled for Aug. 1, but that has been delayed citing some \u201cimportant attendees\u201d unable to make the ceremony. The museum would honor both the civil rights legacy and the environmental significance of the park, Edwards said at the time. Despite the delay, she said, there is so much more to celebrate when it comes to the park, which is commemorating its history with a three-day celebration that will include a Friday birthday celebration including complimentary cake, ice cream and free vehicle entry. On Saturday, the festivities continue with a community fun day, which includes treats, a waterslide for children, a beach clean up along with tours and collecting oral histories from people who\u2019ve visited the beach in its earlier years. The celebration concludes Sunday with the Poetry Potluck spoken word series. \u201cOur story is beautiful. It came through some hard times, through segregation, the Jim Crow era. However, it\u2019s still a beautiful story that should be told,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A 1956 photograph shows the merry-go-round in operation at Viriginia Key Beach Park in Viriginia Key, Fla. The park was the only recreation area available to Blacks in Miami during segregation. (Courtesy of Miami-Dade Office of Historic Preservation) AP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RELATED: This museum would tell the story of Miami\u2019s segregated era. It has stalled for years \u2018Colored-only\u2019 beach Before Virginia Key Beach became known as the first beach for Black people in Miami-Dade County, civil rights activists with support from the local NAACP held a wade-in in May 1945 at the whites-only Haulover Beach. That prompted Dade County commissioners to establish Virginia Key\u2019s beach as a \u201ccolored-only\u201d beach only three months later, on Aug. 1, 1945. Before the causeway was completed in 1947, it was only accessible by boat or ferry. Known for family gatherings and \u201csplashdown\u201d parties, the park became a sacred place for Black people to visit and make their own, including holding weddings and baptisms there. In 1979, the county transferred ownership to the city of Miami, and closed the park three years later citing maintenance costs. Following conversations about private development at the beach, a group of citizens organized the Virginia Key Beach Park Civil Rights Task Force. Shortly after, the city commission established the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust to oversee the development of the property. The park was closed for 26 years before it reopened in 2008, following restoration efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beachgoers swim during the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park\u2019s 75th Anniversary celebration in Miami-Dade on Aug. 8, 2020. Daniel A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com | File<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Range said in that time, the park had overgrown with exotic flora and fauna. \u201cDuring the years when the park was closed, many invasive species of plants overgrew in the park, things that were not native or natural to the land,\u201d he said. One of the first things the trust did was remove the plants. They then added necessary amenities such as restrooms, power and water. Other fixtures of the park such as the minitrain and the carousel were also restored. The park\u2019s trust has had its fair share of controversies. In 2022, Miami commissioners voted to oust the board members, which included Patrick Range, and replaced them with city commission members. Councilwoman Christine King became the trust\u2019s board chair and the board appointed two Black attorneys to the board. Range criticized the decision to remove the trust\u2019s board members as politically-motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Miami FL- January 12, 2023 – Patrick Range, center, speaks to the City of Miami Commissioners during a Commission meeting. Jose A. Iglesias jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, King said the beach is \u201ca powerful reminder of the generations whose advocacy turned adversity into legacy\u201d and is a \u201ctestament to our community\u2019s strength, pride, and rightful place in the story of Miami.\u201d She did not respond to a request for comment on the status of the museum, but has said in the past she is not in favor of large-scale development. Edwards came into her role in 2023, just as the dust was settling from the shake up, she said, adding much of her work has focused on providing the board with details and updates about the park and letting them know ways they can support it. \u201cWhen I got here, everybody was willing to participate and provide us our support, but they really wanted to know what we needed,\u201d she said. Edwards said the trust has expanded its public outreach efforts, including having school field trips and working with senior citizens at Carrie Meek\/Charles Hadley Senior Center to collect their oral stories related to the park. She also acknowledged the trust is working with a vendor to get the train back operating and that the carousel is undergoing repairs. For Edwards, the preservation of the park is just as personal to her as it is to Range. \u201cMy stepdad\u2019s from Allapattah, and I talk about it in every interview that I do, that was the only beach that he could visit,\u201d she said. \u201cMind you, they were all the way inland and driving all the way down here. There\u2019s stories some people tell us, before even the causeway was here, that they had to come by boat and ferry. Their grandparents or their parents took them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edwards said the park\u2019s preservation and 80th celebration helps honor those such as Lawson Thomas who fought for Black people to even have a beach in Miami-Dade County. She noted that activists risked their lives so that Black people could enjoy recreation, and even then she pointed out that Black people were given the worst part of the beach. \u201cWe made it the best part of the beach for us, the people,\u201d she said. Despite his criticisms, Range said celebrating the park this weekend is a chance to \u201cbang the drum for Virginia Key Beach Park\u201d and make people aware of it and its importance given the current political climate. \u201cThis is an opportunity to counteract that, to let the local politicians know that our history is important to us and we\u2019re not just going to let it go away,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to celebrate it and we expect you to celebrate it with us and promote it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you go: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT: Historic Virginia Key Beach Park 80th Anniversary <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHEN: Friday, Aug. 1 – Sunday, Aug. 3 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHERE: Virginia Key Beach Park <\/p>\n\n\n\n

COST: Free <\/p>\n\n\n\n

INFO: https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virginia Key Beach, Miami\u2019s historic Black-only beach, turns 80, celebrating resilience, community, and a legacy of culture and civil rights.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":48211,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,7,231],"tags":[156,153,232],"class_list":["post-48208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-event","category-opinion","tag-historicvirginiakeybeachpark","tag-virginiakeybeachpark","tag-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80 - Historic Virginia Key Beach Park<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80 - Historic Virginia Key Beach Park\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Virginia Key Beach, Miami\u2019s historic Black-only beach, turns 80, celebrating resilience, community, and a legacy of culture and civil rights.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Historic Virginia Key Beach Park\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T03:04:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T03:04:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1140\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"545\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leonelis Leonelis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leonelis Leonelis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Leonelis Leonelis\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9b4acfacdd16e65f836f3c2ba8f00aef\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-17T03:04:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-17T03:04:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1561,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"#HistoricVirginiaKeyBeachPark\",\"#VirginiaKeyBeachPark\",\"Opinion\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\",\"Event\",\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"hat\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80 - Historic Virginia Key Beach Park\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-17T03:04:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-17T03:04:58+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"hat\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"hat\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg\",\"width\":1140,\"height\":545,\"caption\":\"Historical segregation sign on Virginia Beach.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/\",\"name\":\"Historic Virginia Key Beach Park\",\"description\":\"Beach Park in Miami, FL\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"hat\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Historic Virginia Key Beach Park\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"hat\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/cropped-Untitled-design-2024-04-25T125733.757.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/cropped-Untitled-design-2024-04-25T125733.757.png\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Historic Virginia Key Beach Park\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/es\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9b4acfacdd16e65f836f3c2ba8f00aef\",\"name\":\"Leonelis Leonelis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"hat\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5df2e0db21371ac6a4752e1a3b3594eee89f4b3a46734754c72e328d72ab4f1b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5df2e0db21371ac6a4752e1a3b3594eee89f4b3a46734754c72e328d72ab4f1b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5df2e0db21371ac6a4752e1a3b3594eee89f4b3a46734754c72e328d72ab4f1b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Leonelis Leonelis\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\\\/hat\\\/author\\\/leonelis\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80 - Historic Virginia Key Beach Park","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80 - Historic Virginia Key Beach Park","og_description":"Virginia Key Beach, Miami\u2019s historic Black-only beach, turns 80, celebrating resilience, community, and a legacy of culture and civil rights.","og_url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/","og_site_name":"Historic Virginia Key Beach Park","article_published_time":"2025-12-17T03:04:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-17T03:04:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1140,"height":545,"url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Leonelis Leonelis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leonelis Leonelis","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/"},"author":{"name":"Leonelis Leonelis","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/9b4acfacdd16e65f836f3c2ba8f00aef"},"headline":"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80","datePublished":"2025-12-17T03:04:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T03:04:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/"},"wordCount":1561,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg","keywords":["#HistoricVirginiaKeyBeachPark","#VirginiaKeyBeachPark","Opinion"],"articleSection":["Blog","Event","Opinion"],"inLanguage":"hat"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/","url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/","name":"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80 - Historic Virginia Key Beach Park","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-17T03:04:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-17T03:04:58+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"hat","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"hat","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_MIA_11VIRGINIAKEYHOL_5_1_C3I.jpg","width":1140,"height":545,"caption":"Historical segregation sign on Virginia Beach."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/our-story-is-beautiful-miamis-historic-blacks-only-beach-turns-80\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Our story is beautiful:\u2019 Miami\u2019s historic \u2018Blacks-only\u2019 beach turns 80"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#website","url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/","name":"Virginia Key Beach Park Istorik","description":"Beach Park in Miami, FL","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"hat"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#organization","name":"Virginia Key Beach Park Istorik","url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"hat","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/cropped-Untitled-design-2024-04-25T125733.757.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/cropped-Untitled-design-2024-04-25T125733.757.png","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"Historic Virginia Key Beach Park"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/9b4acfacdd16e65f836f3c2ba8f00aef","name":"Leonelis Leonelis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"hat","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5df2e0db21371ac6a4752e1a3b3594eee89f4b3a46734754c72e328d72ab4f1b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5df2e0db21371ac6a4752e1a3b3594eee89f4b3a46734754c72e328d72ab4f1b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5df2e0db21371ac6a4752e1a3b3594eee89f4b3a46734754c72e328d72ab4f1b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Leonelis Leonelis"},"url":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/author\/leonelis\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48208"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48227,"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48208\/revisions\/48227"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virginiakeybeachpark.net\/hat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}