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‘It’s a story that needs to be told.’ Historic Black neighborhood in Hollywood gets honor
Liberia, a historically Black community in Hollywood, Florida, received a state historical marker to commemorate Liberia’s history on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. Unveiling the marker is Earl Beneby, left, and Emmanuel George, right.
Earl Garnet Beneby rattles off the history of Liberia, a historically Black neighborhood in Hollywood, as if he were an auctioneer. He recalled King’s grocery store owned by Ivan Emmanuel King.
Remembered the home of Robert Mitchell being used as a speakeasy for Black entertainers such as The Temptations and James Brown who couldn’t go into many establishments due to segregation. And he looked back on John Evans, Brown’s relative, who had the first telephone in the neighborhood, useful for wives wanting to call their husbands away on business.
On Saturday, Beneby, 77, was one of about 45 people who gathered at the intersection of Raleigh Street and J.A. Ely Boulevard in Hollywood to unveil a Florida state historical marker, marking the significance of the community that has seen famous musicians such as Sam Cooke and B.B. King. “It means a lot because even though this was a small community, it’s the people that came through,” he told the Miami Herald after the ceremony.
The youngest of 10 children, Beneby was born and raised by Bahamian parents in Liberia. He now lives in Sunrise, but holds the Hollywood community near and dear. This moment in history for Liberia comes as Hollywood turns 100. Liberia was founded about a year earlier.
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