Miami residents are already familiar with the impact Overtown has made on the city. Now, world travelers have a chance to learn about the neighborhood’s history and culture as well.
Telling Overtown Stories, Saying Their Names, a multi-media series of large-scale murals and interactive displays, is currently enlightening visitors to Miami International Airport. It is being presented through a partnership with the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (Miami MoCAAD).
“Showcasing this impressive exhibition at MIA during the same months as our FIFA World Cup matches and the Miami-Dade 250 events offers a unique opportunity to share Overtown’s story with visitors from around the globe,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at the exhibit’s recent unveiling.
Stefan Smith with his mural “Overtown Pitch: Game Changers.”
(Harris Public Relations)
“The exhibition embodies the power of merging art and technology to ensure that stories once overlooked are never forgotten,” said Marilyn Holifield, senior partner at Holland & Knight LLP and Miami MoCAAD co-founder. “The exhibition culminates nearly a decade of vision, collaboration, and innovation, creating new ways to experience art and to make it accessible.”
“Shaped by the influences of the Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, and beyond, Overtown embodies the spirit and cultural depth that define Miami itself,” Holyfield added.
The unveiling, attended by government officials, cultural advocates and community members, also featured remarks from MIA Director and CEO Ralph Cutié and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who suggested displaying the murals at the airport.
Miami MoCAAD Board Chair Marilyn Holyfield speaks at the unveiling.
(Harris Public Relations)
The exhibition features vinyl replicas of three permanent murals by Black artists located at historic Overtown landmarks. OVERtown: Our Family Tree, by Anthony “Mojo” Reed II, is originally at the law office building constructed and owned by Judge Lawson E. Thomas; Reginald O’Neal’s International Longshoreman Association Local 1416, is located at the Local 1416 Union Hall; and Stefan Smith’s Overtown Pitch: Game Changers can be found at the historic Carver Hotel site.
These murals’ replicas can now be seenat MIA’s Connecting Communities Wall near Door 11 on the arrivals level of Concourse E, pre-security. It will be on display until Oct. 13, 2026.
In addition to the 130-year history of Overtown depicted in the murals, the displays also feature QR codes that link visitors to articles and interviews by Black Miami historians.