Garth C. Reeves Sr.
Garth Coleridge Reeves Sr. (February 12, 1919 – November 25, 2019) was the Publisher of the
Early life
Reeves was born in Nassau, Bahamas to Rachel (née Cooper) and Henry Ethelbert Sigismund Reeves. The family immigrated to the United States when Reeves was 4 months old and he grew up in Miami’s Overtown and Liberty City.
Reeves memories of the
The only job Reeves ever had, other than his stint in the segregated Army during World War II, was at the one sheet tabloid for the black community started by his father in 1923. He worked at the paper from high school until his retirement in 1994.
Reeves graduated from the
The Miami Times
Reeves had returned to Miami in 1946, his father Henry E. Sigismund Reeves was running The Miami Times which was a '
Garth held every job at one time or the other at the paper and the energy he devoted drove the Times to grow during the 1950s and 1960s. Reeves fought against laws upholding segregation with acts of civil disobedience. In 1949, blacks were not allowed to play at the public golf courses during the week, but were allowed on Monday, the one day the sprinklers were on. Garth brought friends to play on a Wednesday. He and his friends filed suit for access to the fairways, basing their claim on taxes paid in upkeep and maintenance of the courses. Their suit was successful after a court case that lasted seven years. This led to the desegregation of the Miami Springs golf course in 1959.
While not subscribing to the non-violence philosophy of
Reeves called the conflagrations “rebellion” and “protests” in The Miami Times as he believed they spoke to the community’s frustration after years of continuing police brutality. He even called for the removal of politicians and imbued social causes and candidates with his imprimatur. “For many, the Miami Times became the conscience of the black community,” Dorothy Jenkins Fields, the founder of the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, wrote. “He was not afraid and he was not intimidated. He was dedicated to uplifting the race and he was not afraid to throw rocks and hide his hands to get the power structure’s attention to the difficulties and the inequalities of the black community. He dedicated his life to that,” said Fields in a statement.
In 1957, Reeves and other black leaders took their tax bills to a meeting with white officials in an effort to integrate Dade County beaches.[4] “We’re law-abiding, tax-paying citizens,” they said, “and we’re going swimming this afternoon at Crandon Park.” When the men arrived at the beach, they were met by angry policemen lining the beachfront, but the black men were eventually unmolested for testing the waters in a brief dip.[5]
“From that day we swam at all the beaches,” Reeves later recounted. Reeves developed his writing voice in the middle of the civil rights era when he ascended to managing editor of The Times. Under his tutelage, the Times pressed the power of the black voter.[6]
He also came to understandings with the white business establishment in the downtown Miami, joining the mostly white Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce in 1968. He also courted various charities like the United Way, the Boy Scouts and other philanthropic endeavors that the downtown clique perceived as the litmus test of civic involvement.
He inherited the paper when Henry died in 1970. The paper was the basis of Reeves’ small fortune. He invested the profits in bank stock and real estate, owning a 5 percent share of Miami’s Bayside Marketplace, located in the thriving downtown. Reeves became a life member of the
Publisher Emeritus
He retired from the day to day operation and assumed the mantle of elder statesman, active in civic affairs into his 98th year. In 2017 he was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame. “I have admired the organization since it started. Black journalists and the black press are up against formidable foes and we have to keep fighting and not give up. It makes you feel good when you are recognized by your peers and, being in the business, at 98, I feel good,” he told The Miami Times.
“These valiant soldiers without swords not only excelled in their chosen field, they also brought others along with them. We stand on their shoulders,” Sarah Glover, NABJ president at the time, said in announcing the award.
City and county leaders in 2017 designated Northwest Sixth Street as Garth C. Reeves Way.[9]
In 2019, the City of Miami Commission honored Reeves on the occasion of his 100th birthday.[1]
Death
After Rachel passed at age 69 in September, 2019, Reeves' health declined. He died of complications from pneumonia two months later, on November 25, at his home in Aventura, Fla. He was 100.
See also
- Ruth W. Greenfield
- African-American newspapers
- Black Newspapers
References
- ^ a b Cohen, Howard (2019-12-03). "Miami Times publisher Garth Reeves Sr., 'conscience of the black community,' dies at 100". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ "Garth C. Reeves Sr. Retired Miami Times Publisher, Dies | The Crusader Newspaper Group". 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Latest Miami Headlines".
- ^ Ramos, Laura Coburn, Lisann (26 July 2013). "Plunging In: How Miami's Beaches Were Integrated". www.wlrn.org.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/the-history-of-the-miami... [dead link]
- ^ "Remembering protest that led to opening first beach for black Miamians | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22.
- ^ "Obituary: Rachel Reeves, publisher The Miami Times newspaper | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2019-09-15.
- ^ "Mourners honor Miami Times Publisher Rachel Reeves | The Crusader Newspaper Group". 19 September 2019.
- ^ Mazzei, Patricia (November 28, 2019). "Garth C. Reeves, 100, Activist Newspaper Publisher, Is Dead". The New York Times.
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