Dinizulu Gene Tinnie
A significant cultural leader, Dinizulu Gene Tinnie is a renowned percussionist, educator and cultural activist who has been a key figure in Miami's arts community, particularly in the African-American cultural scene. He was a vital member of the Black Arts Workshop, an influential organization in the 1960s and 1970s that promoted African-American art, culture and activism. Tinnie has worked diligently to preserve African heritage through music, theater and education, teaching at several institutions and supporting organizations like the South Florida Black Cultural Arts Center. He is also co-director of a Middle Passage Ship Replica Project, aiming to reinterpret the “slave trade” from the captives’ perspective, and serves on the board of the Florida Black Historical Research Project, which highlights Seminole Maroon history.