Title

Lesline McKenzie

Authors

Lesline McKenzie
Martin Rago, Florida International University

Files

Description

Oral history interview of Lesline McKenzie by Martin Rago

In this interview, Lesline Mckenzie discusses her advocacy for digital access in Miami. Specifically, she describes the Broadband for Good program at the Frontier cruise-line where she works. Her employer provides equipment for schools and fosters care facilities as a part of community outreach. The interview describes the need for digital equity and provides overview of potential solutions. Mckenzie also describes Miami’s culture during the 1980s, and the change she witnesses returning over twenty years later. She describes how development and boon in restaurant and real estate business has made the city more appealing. But she also recognizes the potential risks of gentrification.

Publication Date

2022

City

Miami, Florida

Keywords

Oral History, Digital Access, Miami, Digital Divide, Wealth Gap, Pandemic, Covid-19, Covid-19, Internet Access, Technology Access, Education Access, Overtown, Miami Springs, Liberty City, Brownsville, Hialeah, Florida International University, Socio-Economic Factors, Political Advocacy, Awareness, Social Issues, Digital Divide, Internet Access, COVID-19

Disciplines

Economic Policy | Public Policy | Social Justice

Comments

Abstract

Length: 58 Minutes

Biography and Comments

Lesline Mckenzie was born in Jamaica and migrated to Maryland, near Washington D.C., in the 1960s. After high school, she moved to Miami to attend college where she enrolled at the University of Miami (UM). During that time, her area of residency was Coral Gables. Following her higher education studies, she lived in England for some time, later Italy, and, finally, she returned to live in Miami, which she considers her home. She is employed at cruise line Frontier, where she participates in community outreach. Furthermore, she engages in community advocacy with Catalyst Miami through a parent leader program and in the areas of healthcare and housing.

Recommended Citation

McKenzie, Lesline and Rago, Martin, "Lesline McKenzie" (2022). Miami's Wealth Gap Collection. 10.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/wealthgap/10