Connection Through Culture
Title
Connection Through Culture
Creator
Kathleen Gomez
Date
10/03/2022
Text
In high school, I was in the broadcasting magnet, which meant I had to produce a type of news package every week with my team. Although it was tedious at times, I secretly and quietly enjoyed it as my group specifically, focused on community pieces. One Saturday morning, while practicing for a competition, our prompt was “Unknown Miami”. At first, we found it ridiculously hard as we were now assigned to cover sports and find a day-of story that fit the prompt. After what felt like hours and hours of relentless searching, we came across a group called Running Edge 305 who were hosting a 5k marathon in historic Overtown. While it perfectly fits the theme, we found it even better that they were doing a tour during the marathon, celebrating Black History Month. What we didn’t expect was the unforgettable experience we were about to have.
Driving to downtown Miami was quite a lengthy drive, especially considering it was traffic hour and we all know how that can be living in a city like this one. Luckily, I wasn’t the one driving because my morning road rage can be quite extensive. Regardless, our designated driver/camerawoman was Kayla, and our anchor was Anthony, while I finalized our group as the producer/editor. To be honest, we did get lost a few times once we got to the intricate streets but luckily, we made it on time just before they began. Quickly, Kayla and I began setting up the cameras and tripods while Anthony suited up and made sure his microphone worked. The rush of adrenaline was beginning to hit as we hurried across the busy street to begin getting a few interviews of the runners and some behind-the-scenes shots of everyone getting ready. Immediately, I noticed a big sense of community and family. It seemed like although they just met, they were all getting along quite well. The friendly and familial banter was proof. I could tell who knew the area, who didn’t but were familiar with it, and who were completely new to Miami altogether. Before they began, I had noticed I made one of the biggest mistakes of all time: wearing all black to a 5k marathon in the Miami Heat. In my defense, I never expected to be in Overtown at 9 AM on a Saturday, but life is unexpected and unpredictable. Another thing we all collectively realized was that we were going to have to run alongside the participants and coaches, under the beaming hot sun, with tripods and cameras in hand. This was going to be a long and exhausting day. On top of it all, we had to be back by 2 PM to successfully edit everything together and submit it.
Momentarily, the leaders of the group began to give an encouraging speech to all the participants. To the left were the runners and to the right were the walkers/joggers. To keep everyone safe, the leaders split up into two groups so everyone can keep up with their pace and stay hydrated. Of course, we stayed with the right team because there was no way we were going to be able to keep up with the runners. Finally, the event began, and the groups went their separate ways. My team immediately began to record as much footage as we possibly could, while also participating. At first, we were simply here to get what we needed and leave, but it quickly turned into something else. Our leader took us to various landmarks and small businesses throughout the marathon in Overtown. We stopped by the Lyric Theatre, where stars such as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald used to perform back in the 1930s. As well as Jackson Soul Food, a comfort-style soul food restaurant that thrived in the community. It was incredible how much history this small town held and getting to experience it firsthand was inspiring and unforgettable.
What shifted my attention to the beauty of this place was its murals. Throughout the town, it was as if the people’s voices were portrayed in these magnificent paintings. In every corner, on every wall, art was displayed proudly. The artwork included incredibly sensitive yet powerful messages representing the Black Lives Matter movement as a tribute to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two lives that were taken too soon. I was dumbfounded by the creativity and perfection that came through every single mural. The one that truly spoke to Anthony, and I was one honoring the late NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. We absolutely love the game of basketball, so witnessing this community's love also gave us a beautiful and heartfelt connection. After jogging non-stop, we decided to slow down and take a breather. As we slowed down and regained our stamina, we were able to notice the homes that surrounded us. The leader of the group informed us that as beautiful as Overtown is, they are suffering from a rise in poverty and gentrification. Because of the constant construction, many residents have been forced to relocate after losing their homes or no longer being able to afford them. Many of the homes are worn down and many residents are homeless, living on the streets as best as they can. We knew that Miami had a large population of homeless, but never did we see it first-hand.
About an hour later, the marathon had come to an end, and we were able to get everything we needed, including b-roll, interviews, audio clips, standups, and outros. My group and I stepped aside to capture the moment and take in what we just experienced. Drenched in sweat and dehydrated, we realized that we completely explored a new town and a new community for us. Overtown proved to be rather beautiful and unique, something I would have never expected until coming here. We not only made new friendships with the leaders of the organization, who adored our work, but we made a new travel destination on days we feel like exploring. During the ride back, we couldn’t stop talking about how proud of ourselves we were that we not only finished two-thirds of our practice competition, but we completed a 5k marathon under the scorching sun while filming and capturing every moment. However, the true message we took home was that you never know what a communities’ heart is made of until you experience it for yourself and that we did.
Driving to downtown Miami was quite a lengthy drive, especially considering it was traffic hour and we all know how that can be living in a city like this one. Luckily, I wasn’t the one driving because my morning road rage can be quite extensive. Regardless, our designated driver/camerawoman was Kayla, and our anchor was Anthony, while I finalized our group as the producer/editor. To be honest, we did get lost a few times once we got to the intricate streets but luckily, we made it on time just before they began. Quickly, Kayla and I began setting up the cameras and tripods while Anthony suited up and made sure his microphone worked. The rush of adrenaline was beginning to hit as we hurried across the busy street to begin getting a few interviews of the runners and some behind-the-scenes shots of everyone getting ready. Immediately, I noticed a big sense of community and family. It seemed like although they just met, they were all getting along quite well. The friendly and familial banter was proof. I could tell who knew the area, who didn’t but were familiar with it, and who were completely new to Miami altogether. Before they began, I had noticed I made one of the biggest mistakes of all time: wearing all black to a 5k marathon in the Miami Heat. In my defense, I never expected to be in Overtown at 9 AM on a Saturday, but life is unexpected and unpredictable. Another thing we all collectively realized was that we were going to have to run alongside the participants and coaches, under the beaming hot sun, with tripods and cameras in hand. This was going to be a long and exhausting day. On top of it all, we had to be back by 2 PM to successfully edit everything together and submit it.
Momentarily, the leaders of the group began to give an encouraging speech to all the participants. To the left were the runners and to the right were the walkers/joggers. To keep everyone safe, the leaders split up into two groups so everyone can keep up with their pace and stay hydrated. Of course, we stayed with the right team because there was no way we were going to be able to keep up with the runners. Finally, the event began, and the groups went their separate ways. My team immediately began to record as much footage as we possibly could, while also participating. At first, we were simply here to get what we needed and leave, but it quickly turned into something else. Our leader took us to various landmarks and small businesses throughout the marathon in Overtown. We stopped by the Lyric Theatre, where stars such as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald used to perform back in the 1930s. As well as Jackson Soul Food, a comfort-style soul food restaurant that thrived in the community. It was incredible how much history this small town held and getting to experience it firsthand was inspiring and unforgettable.
What shifted my attention to the beauty of this place was its murals. Throughout the town, it was as if the people’s voices were portrayed in these magnificent paintings. In every corner, on every wall, art was displayed proudly. The artwork included incredibly sensitive yet powerful messages representing the Black Lives Matter movement as a tribute to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two lives that were taken too soon. I was dumbfounded by the creativity and perfection that came through every single mural. The one that truly spoke to Anthony, and I was one honoring the late NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. We absolutely love the game of basketball, so witnessing this community's love also gave us a beautiful and heartfelt connection. After jogging non-stop, we decided to slow down and take a breather. As we slowed down and regained our stamina, we were able to notice the homes that surrounded us. The leader of the group informed us that as beautiful as Overtown is, they are suffering from a rise in poverty and gentrification. Because of the constant construction, many residents have been forced to relocate after losing their homes or no longer being able to afford them. Many of the homes are worn down and many residents are homeless, living on the streets as best as they can. We knew that Miami had a large population of homeless, but never did we see it first-hand.
About an hour later, the marathon had come to an end, and we were able to get everything we needed, including b-roll, interviews, audio clips, standups, and outros. My group and I stepped aside to capture the moment and take in what we just experienced. Drenched in sweat and dehydrated, we realized that we completely explored a new town and a new community for us. Overtown proved to be rather beautiful and unique, something I would have never expected until coming here. We not only made new friendships with the leaders of the organization, who adored our work, but we made a new travel destination on days we feel like exploring. During the ride back, we couldn’t stop talking about how proud of ourselves we were that we not only finished two-thirds of our practice competition, but we completed a 5k marathon under the scorching sun while filming and capturing every moment. However, the true message we took home was that you never know what a communities’ heart is made of until you experience it for yourself and that we did.
Citation
Kathleen Gomez, “Connection Through Culture ,” Everything Speaks To Me , accessed September 18, 2026, https://everythingspeakstome.com/items/show/131.