In a move to cast a spotlight on the lesser-known narratives shaping South Florida, the Miami-Dade County Office of Historic Preservation has rolled out a study that promises to delve into the history of the area's Migrant Farmworker Community. As reported by the Miami-Dade County's news release, the Office of Historic Preservation, under the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, aims to enrich the tapestry of Miami-Dade County's preserved historical records by integrating the stories and landmarks significant to the migrant farmworkers who have contributed to the region’s agricultural legacy.
The project, which is bankrolled by an Underrepresented Communities Grant from the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund, will not only narrate the farmworkers' past but is expected to identify key sites for potential inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The grant is a piece of a broader initiative started in 2014, dispersing $7 million in funds to support the diversification of narratives within the National Register. Miami-Dade County is one of the 21 fortunate recipients pooling the grant's offer to better represent histories often relegated to the margins.
With a methodology encompassing historical research and community engagement, the study plans to document buildings and sites that encapsulate the Migrant Farmworker Community's lived experiences. According to the Miami-Dade County's press release, part of the endeavor includes the photography of these spaces, supporting their stories with visual testimony.
Alongside recording the physical traces of the migrant farmworker's presence, the study aspires to nominate at least one associated site to the National Register of Historic Places. Doing so would offer a formal recognition and preservation of the farmworkers' historical significance in South Florida’s development. This venture is one in a series of Office of Historic Preservation's heritage survey efforts aimed at engaging with communities that history has often overlooked.
The Miami-Dade County has long recognized the invaluable contribution that agriculture, and the hands that till its lands, play in its evolution. This study, and the potential registry that may follow, stands as a testament to the enduring impact these communities have had on not just an industry, but on the tapestry of an ever-evolving cultural landscape in South Florida.
