Changemakers

Miami artist Chire “VantaBlack” Regans summons power through portraiture

Acclaimed Miami-based artist Chire “VantaBlack” Regans spoke with The New Tropic about her passion for evoking truth from her portraits and commitment to using her craft in service of the community.

/ May 20, 2021

MDCPS’s Rookie Teacher Of The Year on Anti-Racism Education

Kalyn Lee is the Rookie Teacher of The Year for MDCPS–and she has thoughts. Meet Kalyn Lee. 2020’s Rookie Teacher of the Year, out of Miami Carol City High School. And she is putting that honor into action, with important ideas on how Miami schools can be on the forefront of anti-racism, starting in schools. […]

/ June 19, 2020

Meet The Sunny Project, selling art for good

Maggie Steber via the Sunny Project During these unprecedented times, community matters more than ever.  With major societal upheaval for the good and scary realities coming to light, there’s a desire to find beauty and “silver linings” wherever we can. Enter The Sunny Project, one woman’s quest to bring art to the community while giving […]

/ June 18, 2020

At Zaytouna, Syrian refugees start from scratch

WHAT SHE’S DOING: Christa Tawil believes that food can bridge the cultural gaps that separate us. That’s why she founded Zaytouna, an organization by and for Syrian refugee women to help each other resettle in South Florida and gain financial independence. At Zaytouna, the women produce homemade foods from the Middle East, such as baklava, […]

/ April 15, 2019

Miami women to watch

Back in the 1890s when Miami was considered swampland, Julia Tuttle saw its potential and convinced industrialist Henry Flagler to extend his railway from Palm Beach down to Miami. And that’s a major part of how Miami got its start. In fact, Miami is widely considered the only major American city founded by a woman. […]

/ March 28, 2019

Changemakers: Meet the people rethinking the design of Miami’s skyline

For our latest Changemakers series we wanted to highlight the folks who are taking a unique approach to building in Miami, and doing innovative work in architecture and urban design.

/ March 21, 2019

Avra Jain’s making a long-term commitment to Miami

Avra Jain of The Vagabond Group is a real estate developer best known for preserving and restoring the roadside motels along Biscayne Boulevard has shifted her focus to affordable housing in Miami.

/ March 21, 2019

These Miami urban planners want to do more—and plan less

Tony Garcia and Dana Wall are urban planners at Street Plans Collaborative, a Miami-based design firm that is pushing for a new approach to planning the future of our city.

/ March 7, 2019

Black Architects in the Making design futures

MEET THIS CHANGEMAKER: Craig Aquart is a Jamaican-American architect, principal of MCHarry & Associates and the founder of Black Architects in the Making, an outreach programthat educates middle and high school students about architecture through activities, workshops and summer camps with the goal of diversifying the profession. WHAT IS HE DOING: Craig travels to communities […]

/ March 6, 2019

Changemakers: Meet the Miamians who are shaping our transportation future

When it comes to getting around Miami, the struggle is real. Traffic is now a daily fact of life for many of us, and, as Miami continues to grow, the need for solutions and alternatives to the gridlock has become all the more urgent. For our latest Changemaker series, we met up with a handful […]

/ February 15, 2019