There was a time when I believed in the “American Dream.” I held onto the idea that with the right experience, education and work ethic, anyone could achieve greatness in this land of my ancestors. However, on the morning of April 1, 2010, my belief was shattered when I discovered that the Miami Dade Aviation Department locked us out of our terminal building at the Opa-Locka Airport. We were denied access to participating in the American economy – once again history repeating itself.
Opa-Locka Flightline was the first and only black owned and operated private jet terminal in the U.S. We were thriving, generating millions in revenue, and providing employment for approximately 20 highly skilled workers who harbored high hopes and dreams for their families.
As I stood there watching my 12-year-old son Joshua clutch the chain link fence with tears streaming down his face, I realized that our hopes and dreams were being dashed right in front of us. Off in the distance, I noticed an evil grin on the face of the Airport Manager as he slowly drove by in his official county vehicle. Amidst this early morning chaos, I felt the gentle vibration of my middle son Gideon’s spirit urging me to let go as he battled terminal cancer from his bed miles away.
Later that afternoon I received an anonymous phone call from a very nervous Caucasian sounding woman, who refused to identify herself, stating that our company posed a serious threat to the white political and economic hierarchy in South Florida. This group of influential politicians, judges and bankers resented our business acumen, and our commitment to providing black and brown school-aged children the chance to explore the vast opportunities in aviation. That brief conversation left me with no choice but to fight. We could not take this lying down.
At the end of that turbulent day, I was reminded of the calm enduring spirit of my maternal grandmother, Elvira Jones-Bowers. My grandmother was forced to watch the lifeless body of my great uncle Peter drift down the Mississippi River after being lynched and emasculated by a mob near Vicksburg. We, too, were forced to watch our own lynching and emasculation approximately seventy-five years later, and just like my grandmother, we would endure.
To battle this political juggernaut, we armed ourselves with a legal team led by the indomitable Willie E. Gary, Esq. Through perseverance and strategic planning, my partners and I navigated the tumultuous waters of bigotry and hatred, determined to forge a path towards achieving the American Dream for generations to come.
This compelling book chronicles the rise and fall of Opa-Locka Flightline, a testament of resilience in the face of adversity, and the unwavering spirit that propels us beyond the constraints of a limited existence to the elysian fields of consciousness…
“I don’t see an American Dream; I see an American Nightmare.” -Malcolm X
