Lovette McGill
Lovette McGill was born in Miami Florida, and raised in the Overtown area. She attended St. Francis Xavier and Holy Redeemer Elementary Schools. She completed her high school education at Notre Dame Academy for Girls. Her college years were spent at Miami-Dade Community College-North and University of Miami, Coral Gables where she graduated on the Dean’s List in 1976 and holds a Bachelor of Education Degree.
She is an active trade unionist and card carrying member of both the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1416 and United Teachers of Dade. She also serves as President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute Miami-Dade Chapter, as well as the Florida State Chapter a major consistency group of the American Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) as well as Vice-President-at-large of the South Florida AFL-CIO. Presently she is a member of the Miami Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board and has served on two other County Boards, the Living Wage Commission, and the Community Relations Board.
APRI focuses on Voter Education/ Registration and numerous issue driven campaigns such as Breast and Ovarian Cancer Awareness. After just eight months as President the Chapter was named National Affiliate of the Year in 2007. APRI Miami-Dade has been awarded four National Affiliate awards in 2009 and 2010 and 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015, 2016. In 2011, she was awarded the Outstanding Leadership award by the National A. Philip Randolph Institute. At the 2015 National Education Conference she received the Rosina Tucker Award the highest honor in the Institute In addition through her leadership the Miami-Dade Chapter has given over $75,000. in scholarships and laptops to low income students attending Miami- Dade County schools These awards have been presented at the Chapter’s annual diner held every June.
MMs. McGill has been instrumental in organizing an annual Toy Drives that has benefited the Miami Rescue Mission shelter for Women and Children and the Overtown CRA. She was honored by the Rescue Mission Center for Women and Children in 2008 for her efforts. Yearly, her efforts assist the children in the Overtown Area where toys were given out at the Annual Treelighting ceremony held on NW 10th ST and NW 3rd Avenue. This endeavor was recognized in 2008 by City of Miami Office of Commissioner Spence-Jones. She was also instrumental through the Longsoremens’s Association in orchestrating a food drive for Haiti to assist the needy of that country recover from a devastating flood in Gonaives. Her efforts go far and wide in Haiti Relief during the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. She organized and participated in the loading of the relief vessel Integrity operating a forklift at the Port of Miami. Operation Teddy Bear in which stuffed animals were collected throughout the South Atlantic and sent to Haiti to comfort the youngest victims of the earthquake. In addition, she spearheaded a hygiene and over- the- counter medicine drive was also done. Ms. McGill tirelessly worked to secure monetary donations for various Haiti relief charities including Life Impact and the Teamsters Blue Tarp program to the tune of $25,000. Not forgetting home 500 supply filled back-packs were given out in Overtown’s annual Back to School Health Fair due largely in part to her involvement. January 2011, Ms. McGill took part in the National AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Birthday Celebration held in Cincinnati, OH were she organized Transportation Workers from Miami and Longshoremen brothers and sisters from around the country in a major community service project where they painted the inside of a local church. A celebration that she attends yearly as it moves throughout the country.
Lovette on October 28, 2012 organized a Souls to the Polls early voting event that took place at the Joseph Caleb Center, Rev. Al Sharpton was the keynote speaker a total of 1,501 persons voted at the Model City library that day. The event included a march from the Cultural Arts Center to the Jospeh Caleb Center. These events for subsequent mid-term and general elections. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez named her to the Election Advisory Committee. This committee was instrumental in working with the Miami-Dade County Elections Department to submit to lawmakers in Tallahassee suggestions for a Miami-Dade delegation bill sponsored by State Senator Oscar Braynon to bring about changes in state elections laws that has resulted in bring back a full 14 days of early voting,. Lovette has been honored by several groups, the National AFL-CIO as “Hero of the Political Program” South Florida AFL-CIO ” Humanitarian Award”, and the prestigious “Soujouner Truth Award” from the Business & Professional Women’s Club. In 2013, “A. Philip Randolph Lifetime Achievement Award from the State of Florida AFL-CIO, in February 2011 honored by the, Wilkie D, Fergusond Bar Association for Outstanding Community Service In April 2011 by the Miami Rescue Mission Community Service and May 2011 by the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1416 Retirees and Widows Club McGill was highlighted in 2014 the Miami Herald’s Legacy Magazine for Black History Month Community Service Award. In March 2017, the City of Miami awarded Lovette with the Community Trailblazer Award in recognition of Women’s History Month.
Her latest accomplishment is being elected to serve on Audit Committee of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1416 breaking the glass ceiling by becoming the first women to be elected to office in its 79 year history a male dominated labor union. She is also a partime instructor for Miami-Dade Public schools in the area of adult literacy housed at Key Club House and a proud member of the United Teachers of Dade. In addition Lovette was honored by Eta Phi Beta Sorority as it Unsung Heroine for 2016 and featured by in a photo exhibit at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center “Women Of A New Tribe” highlighting the accomplishments of African American Women in Miami-Dade County.
She is a loyal member of the Historic Greater Bethel AME Church in Overtown. Where Reverend Willie Cook is her pastor. Daughter of Marion Martin, and the late Joe Winfred. Hicks, Mother of Kayondra Screen and Grandmother of Aniyha Williams , Wherever there is a cause you can find Lovette McGill.
