Martin's Footprints: Marches in Coconut Grove & Goulds

By Symone Titania Major

Martin's Footprints: Marches in Coconut Grove & Goulds is a documentary photography series by Symone Titania Major that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic capturing the duality of two historical marches. It is a celebration of the women leaders who organized the protests and a thank you to the community members who participated and amplified their voices for change. For more information, please contact the library at 305-553-1134 or gonzalezja@mdpls.org. All ages.

About the Exhibition

Martin’s Footprints: Marches in Coconut Grove & Goulds is a documentary photography series by Symone Titania Major, a recipient of the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation’s 2021 Knight Arts Challenge Award. The black and white photographs in this series document the duality of two historical marches that took place in Miami during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first march was held on June 13, 2020, in Coconut Grove as a protest toward police brutality. The second march was held in the Goulds neighborhood of Miami on April 10, 2021, and protested for an end to gun violence. This series was originally exhibited in 2022 at the Historic Coconut Grove Museum and a selection of these photographs have been shown at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Augusta Savage Gallery as part of the group exhibition titled As We Move Forward, curated by Nhadya Lawes and Juana Valdes.

Martin’s Footprints: Marches in Coconut Grove & Goulds is a celebration of the women leaders who organized the protests in Coconut Grove and Goulds. It is a thank you to the community members who marched, used their voices, distributed drinks and food, took part in the online conversation and prayed for change.

As you walk through this exhibit you are not simply looking at images, you are taking part in the conversation and marching with us. Immerse yourself in the work – talk to your neighbor on the left of you and laugh with your neighbor on the right. Ask yourself “What do I stand for?” and “How can I uplift my neighbor?”

Symone Titania Major is an award-winning documentary photographer and storyteller from Miami, Florida. She earned a Master of Science in Hospitality Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts from Florida International University. Her black and white photography shines light on overlooked stories within the Black community and archives the African American experience. She received the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s 2016 and 2021 Knight Arts Challenge Awards, The Ellies Creator Award from Oolite Arts in 2018 and the Miami Foundation’s Racial Equity Fund Award in 2021. Her work offers a look into the living history of African Americans through documentary photography and filmmaking. It is through her practice that others can begin to see and understand the rich culture that is often overlooked in Black communities. Major’s goal is to open the window and shine a light on the positive and culture shifting elements that make up the Black communities here in America and around the world. 

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