20th Street, by Reginald O’Neal
“Artists are our storytellers, our archivists, our fortune tellers…”
-Rosie Gordon Wallace, founder of Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator
On Sunday, September 14, 2025, we gathered at the Paul L. Dunbar K-8 Center to honor Rainbow Village—the 1970s award-winning housing development and former home of Miami-based artist Reginald O’Neal in the historically Black neighborhood of Overtown. With cranes looming in the sky, and construction paused for our Sunday service, O’Neal invited us to become stakeholders and stewards of a shared history through art.
In a nod to Black memorials, the afternoon began with gospel interludes from Community Sounds choir, a historical grounding by Nadege Green, and an offering from multidisciplinary poet Arsimmer McCoy, accompanied by violinist Muzelle. The event then culminated in the unveiling of O’Neal’s community tribute. Titled 20th, he presented a hand-carved woodblock and limited edition print of a child running toward home. O’Neal explained, “I created this [work] so all of us could be responsible for this place that I call home. Once this place is gone, the only people who will remember are the people who once lived here… In a way, I wanted to delegate that responsibility to all of us.”
The native son of Overtown spoke about what Rainbow Village means to him and invited us to consider the significance of intergenerational memory in a city too-often marred by erasure. As locals shared stories of their neighborhood, O’Neal’s mother reflected on the many places her son has traveled, reminding us that home is never truly gone as long as we continue to tell its story.
On the day we Remembered Rainbow Village, Dunbar field was alive with Flowers For the People by Say Sukii Flowers; free books courtesy of Books & Books, Bookleggers, and Black Miami-Dade; produce from Dunns Overtown Farms; and Community Justice Project—our partners in movement doing the essential work of fighting for housing rights.
Scenes from life in Rainbow Village and archival photography lined the west side of the field like totems of memory. Recognizing familiar faces and the pale gold structures, locals posed next to the images captured by O’Neal.
More than a memorial service, this was an outdoor museum, library, and institution—a love letter to Overtown.
Years from now, people will remember Rainbow Village and how 115 Commissioner members and friends co-funded an additional 185 works for residents displaced from O’Neal’s childhood home as an act and intervention in collective memory.
Earlier this year, in a conversation with Commissioner Co-Founder Dejha Carrington, Green, and O’Neal, we discussed world-building and co-creating a future where artists and communities are supported with care. We see Remembering Rainbow Village as a collective step toward the changes we want to see in an art world that makes space for everyone.
Deepest gratitude to Overtown for allowing us to share space on a sun-kissed afternoon, and to Commissioner members, collaborators, and our extended family for making this project possible. Special thanks to David Oliviera, Tom Virgin of Extra Virgin Press, Xleoniduz, Community Justice Project, Bookleggers Library, Books & Books, Heavyweights BBQ, Lil Greenhouse Grill, Dunn's Overtown Farm, and Principal Maria de Armas and Assistant Principal Isaiah Thomas of Paul L. Dunbar K-8. For bringing concept into reality, overwhelming thanks to the Commissioner project team: Claudia Des Rosiers, Primary, Adaeze Nwakobi, Maryam Davani Hosseini, Richard Guzman, Mariana Pariani, Rebekah Monson, and fellows Veronica Gort, Gregory Pierre Louis, Fania Celestin, and Lance Minto-Strouse.
Big love to Margo Hannah, Juan Luis Matos, Terence Price II, and Gesi Schilling for capturing the story; and to I’ve Been Framed, Spinello Projects, and Flowers for the People by Say Sukii Flowers for their invaluable collaboration. Remembering Rainbow Village received support from the Historic Ward Rooming House and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.
Film by Juan Luis Matos of Preguntas Studio. Photos by Gesi Schilling.