Prominent voting rights activist Dr. Desmond Meade was honored Friday with a street renaming ceremony in his honor. A portion of Southwest 268th Street in south Miami-Dade County, or Moody Drive, will now be known as “Desmond Meade Street.”
The street now named after him holds personal significance for Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC). It is that very street that he grew up near as a young man struggling with addiction and homelessness.
READ MORE: Florida Supreme Court urged to reject Broward man's appeal in felon voter fraud case
“I walked this street as a drug addict, and today, I walk it with pride, knowing that it now stands as a beacon of hope for those who need it most,” Meade shared in his remarks during the Dec. 6 ceremony in Naranja. “This street sign is not just for me — it’s for everyone who has ever felt they didn’t have a second chance.”
Meade’s journey is one of resilience. Shortly after graduating high school, he joined the United States Army, where he served as a helicopter mechanic. As a returning citizen, he faced drug addiction, homelessness and incarceration. Meade was living in a homeless shelter when he decided to enroll in Miami-Dade College, where he graduated with honors in 2010. He then went on to earn his law degree from the Florida International University College of Law, graduating in 2013.
Today, Meade serves at the helm of the FRRC, a grassroots membership organization run by Returning Citizens (Formerly Convicted Persons). The organization is dedicated to ending the disenfranchisement of convicted individuals by creating a more comprehensive and humane reentry system, in turn reducing recidivism and increasing public safety.
Meade led the FRRC to a historic victory in 2018 with the passage of Amendment 4, which restored the ability for Floridians with a past conviction to vote. Amendment 4 ended the lifetime ban on voting for more than 1.4 million people residing in the state and represented the largest expansion of voting rights in half a century.
Meade’s work also earned him a place on TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019 and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2023. He was named as Floridian and Central Floridian of the Year in 2019, a Ford Foundation Global Fellow in 2020, and a 2021 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow.
Miami-Dade County Vice-Chairman Kionne L. McGhee sponsored the resolution to co-designate a portion of the street in Meade’s honor.
“Desmond Meade Street stands as a testament to the enduring impact of a man who not only overcame his own adversity but made it his mission to change the lives of others,” said McGhee. “His tireless fight for justice has restored dignity to over 1.4 million Floridians and reshaped our state’s history.”
McGhee further emphasized the importance of recognizing and celebrating figures like Meade while they are still with us.
“Desmond Meade’s legacy is one that will continue to inspire us for generations to come,” he said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to honor him today. Thank you, Desmond, for showing us that the power of change starts within, and for being a shining example of what is possible when we never give up on ourselves.”
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at miamitimesonline.com.
