| Program: | Black History Tours, Dade County, FL | | Contact(s): | Claudette Hinton, Transit Administrative Coordinator: (305) 375-2160 | | Purpose: | To increase people's awareness of black history in Dade County | | Background The Metro-Dade Transit Agency (MDTA) began the Black History Tours Program in 1993 as a means to reach out to the community in Dade County during black history month. The program was implemented in partnership with the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. (Black Archives). The Black Archives already operated a structured tour of historic sites in the black communities in Dade County and agreed to partner with MDTA to implement the tours on a broader scale. Program Operations
The tour covers several black historical sites. The Black Archives produced a script and recruited retired teachers and board members as tour guides. In subsequent years, however, MDTA staff was trained to narrate the tours, and even expanded to include additional historic sites. School administrators use the tour to provide a link between the classroom setting and the site visits. Local community groups have become increasingly engaged in the tours and promote it as a means to increase awareness of African American history in the area. The tours are part of a large tourist attraction. Outcomes and Significant Accomplishments In 1997, MDTA dispatched 150 buses on black history tours, serving a total of 6,900 passengers. The feedback that MDTA received has led staff to conclude that the diverse population participating in this project benefited from the opportunity for cross-cultural communication and interaction. The majority of those surveyed stated that they learned new historical information on the tour. | 
