Miami Beach resident Lynette Long, a former university professor who has authored more than 30 books, recently took a drive through the city and noted all the ceremonially co-designated streets, which are named to honor someone for something. What she found was an astonishing gap.
There are at least 18 streets that are co-designated for men and only one street that is co-designated for a woman, Barbara Capitman. While Capitman deserves it for her work creating the Miami Design Preservation League and her efforts to preserve the Art Deco district, she is not alone.
Long, who curated an outdoor exhibit called Women Who Made A Difference at Lummus Park in 2020, asked Beach commissioners last month to co-designate four more streets for women. Her suggestions.
- Josephine Baker, who refused to sing at the Copa City Club on West Ave and Bay Road unless the audience was integrated.
- Judy Drucker, who started the Great Artist Series at Temple Beth Shalom at 4144 Chase Ave.
- Naomi Wilzig, founder of the World Erotic Art Museum at 12th and Washington Ave and the author of three books on Erotic Art.
- Elizabeth Goodnow Cooper, the Founder of the Miami Beach Women’s Club at 24th and Pinetree.
The first two are no-brainers. Ladra might add former mayor Matti Bower Herrera, who, when elected in 2007, was the first female mayor of Miami Beach. And maybe 20 or 30 years from now, Alina Hudak, who is the first female to be the city manager in Miami Beach.
The streets currently co-designated for men are:
- Abe Resnick Blvd.
- Andy Sweet Street
- Arthur Godfrey Road
- Ed Sullivan Drive
- Elie Wiesel Way
- Hank Meyer Blvd.
- Harvey Milk Way
- Henri Levy Blvd.
- Jackie Gleason Drive
- Lehrman Drive
- Mohammed Ali Drive
- Paul Steinberg Bridge
- Rabbi Abramowitz Way
- Rabbi Solomon Schiff Way
- Robert Blair Bridge
- Robert Blum Bridge
- Rosendo Rosell Road
- William Lehman Causeway
Even the MacArthur Causeway was named for World War II General Douglas MacArthur.
Miami Beach has lots of streets named for men; only one named for a woman added by Ladra on
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