James Deering’s extravagant villa and gardens are a little piece of Europe right in the heart of Miami. One would think that the blotting-out of groups from historical timelines is an atrocity the present day world would not come close to repeating yet, today we stand with the erasure of Palestinians, Syrians, Yemenis, and more in a similar way. Even worse, the rest of the world doesn’t bat an eye because, “it’s not our people.” Just as the African-American and Afro-Bahamian workers of Deering’s estate, subjection to horrible conditions and erasure is just part of the sick and twisted price one pays for being from a different world. Everyday, in countries from all over the world, thousands of people, including women and children, are subjected to atrocious conditions and die as a result. Perhaps why the story of the forgotten workers resonates so deeply with me is that this erasure is still a commonplace in today’s society, though some wouldn’t believe it is. Yet their relevance in the history of the Deering Estate can be so easily, and unfortunately, overlooked. Some were even injured and killed in a fatal dynamite explosion on the estate grounds. Despite the efforts and incredible contributions they provided to the grounds, their working conditions were dreadful. Many of the workers part of the estates construction were African-American or Afro-Bahamian. While appreciating the beauty of the estate, the genius of its architecture, and the grandeur of the basin, it is owed to the people who built it that we remember who they were. What truly resonated with me this time was the theme of erasure.Ĭharles Deering was an incredibly wealthy, white man whose home was built during a period of intense racial segregation. With each visit I have to the Deering Estate, there is a new aspect of the grounds I can hone in on and feel enthralled by. With such a grand home and an incredible Biscayne Bay view center stage, it’s quite easy to be captivated with the material aspects of his estate– but this is just merely the surface. Charles Deering’s lavish estate and grounds have been an excursion I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing a few times with Professor Bailly.
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