VENTANITAS -- STORIES ABOUT AND FROM LITTLE HAVANA

I WILL BE FEATURED IN THIS DOCUMENTARY PREMIERING THIS FALL

I can't wait for the fall premiere of Ventanitas -- Stories About and from Little by award-winning Miami documentarian Joe Cardona. 

I will appear on camara as a 20+ year LH resident, storyteller, activist & aplatanado.

Ventanitas are the windows where you buy Cuban coffee. 

But they are much more than a place to sip cafe Cubano con mucho azucar. 

There used to be dozens of ventanitas on Calle Ocho -- but the commercial success of a main street with upwards of four million visitors has reduced their numbers.

I’ve admired Joe’s work for years and it was a pleasure to show off my 100-year-old Shenandoah home (purchased from Santeros) and walk around my adopted hometown for half a day.

I told my stories from the heart.

Hopefully, I will come off as a protagonist when the film debuts in Little Havana.

Joe Cardona was honored with a National Emmy for his 2014 historic documentary “The day it snowed in Miami”, a film that he wrote, produced and directed for PBS national network.

He has made dozens of films covering culture, politics and the essence of 21^st century Miami.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

PROFESSOR JOHNSON-WRIGHT

Tomorrow marks the 35^th Valentine’s Day I’ll spend with my soulmate, Heidi.

Through the years, she has been my:

Scholarship winning undergraduate student Valentine

Law school graduate Valentine

Proud public servant for the State of Ohio Valentine.

Co-author of hundreds of articles about travel and disability Valentine.

First time home owner Valentine.

Travel around the world by wheelchair Valentine.

Move 1,200 miles from heartland Ohio to pulsing Miami Valentine.

First in history full-time Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for the City of Miami Beach Valentine.

Purchaser of a 100-year old home in the heart of Little Havana Valentine.

Point person for all things ADA, serving nearly 3 million constituents, in Miami-Dade County Valentine.

Protector of urban park land and open space (stopping concrete paving over paradise) Valentine.

Educator of town planners, urban designers, architects, mobility engineers and other shapers of the built environment Valentine.

Survivor of the pandemic – using her own computer to stay connected in a leadership role – Valentine.

Creator of a unique course on design for all Valentine.

Lead instructor/professor of a graduate and undergraduate full-credit course on Universal Design at a top 10% rate school of architecture Valentine.

Happy Valentine’s Day – my soulmate, superstar wife and partner in making the world a more equitable, inclusive, diverse and accessible place.