The History of Kinad, Inc.

Welcome, Visitors:

Kinad, Inc. is a South Florida-based 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2001 by Mrs. Shekina Dellmar Donaldson through her extensive research which later followed by an overwhelming moral support from her husband, Baswell E. Donaldson, children and other family members, who all shared a deep concern with the fact that so many Americans are so unaware of a highly significant and vital part of our history, which happens to be African American. It was not being sufficiently taught in schools, even after the passage of the Florida State Legislative mandate that was passed in 1994. It was not being sufficiently represented in the popular culture – in entertainment, news, sports, advertising, children’s programs, best-selling books, etc. The Donaldson's frustration grew as they learned and collected more and more information. Finally, rather than curse the darkness, they lit a lamp. After the organization was established by Shekina D. Donaldson, both her and husband Baswell E. Donaldson went to work proactively to see that the untold story got told.

Shekina’s 20 years experience as a Computer Aided Drafting Designer and Manual Drafter that eventually played a major role that gave them workable shape and substance to the information and images that Shekina avidly collected, created, designed, and curate. Baswell’s extensive experience in the entertainment industry, in the graphic arts and as a store window display designer. Their collaborative vision brought about truly fresh display designs, incorporating traditional and modern elements along with unexpected surprises. Their engaging displays were instantly successful, inviting viewers to explore, to turn pages, to see what was around the corner, to view a dazzling variety of presentations on video monitors, etc. Equally as important as the message that they brought to their diverse audiences, was the feedback, input and suggestions that they received from teachers, children, employees, customers or just passers-by who had to pause and view the African American Traveling Historical Exhibit, which also changed in format and content with each new location. In addition, Kinad Inc. also won accolades from the mayors and commissioners of both Miami-Dade County and City of Miami, as well as from numerous other state, local and community agencies and organizations. In the eight years since Kinad’s founding, the organization has carried its inspiring message to more than three hundred locations locally, statewide and viewed by over 550,000 people of all ages. A few highlights venues are below.

In 2002 and 2004, Kinad’s traveling display was exhibited in the rotunda of the State Capitol in Tallahassee, where more than 15,000 visitors, including senators, representatives and other officials shared the experience. On both occasions Governor Jeb Bush visited as well, and was particularly impressed with the manner in which the historical information was adapted to enhance students’ reading comprehension skills.

2004 was, in fact, a banner year for Kinad, which began by launching “A Day On, Not a Day Off,” in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, in an effort to restore real meaning to the holiday, at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (AHCAC) on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard in Miami’s Liberty City section. The event, which garnered generous support from Comcast, Inc., as the title sponsor, featured a strikingly attractive display and a program featuring recordings of Dr. King and other civil rights leaders and honored more than twenty deserving elected officials, community leaders and organizations for their guidance and community involvement in keeping Dr. King’s Dream vibrantly alive and active.

In the summer of 2004, the Donaldson's with daughter Kristal Donaldson and Shekina's brother Arthur D. Dellmar traveled to New York City, to gather data for one of Kinad’s most valued projects, a display on the life of an African American inventor Lewis H. Latimer, “The Man in the Shadow of the Light,” who perfected the carbon filament for the electric light bulb, and produced the drawings for Alexander Graham Bell’s patent of the telephone. In Flushing, NY, they located and interviewed Latimer’s granddaughter, Dr. Winifred Latimer Norman, who was most appreciative of their interest and effort. On September 9, Dr. Norman was the guest of honor at a Kinad-organized program entitled “The Life and Times of Lewis Howard Latimer,” also at the AHCAC where she was presented with a key to Miami-Dade County and a proclamation from the Miami-Dade County School Board.

It is not surprising that 2004 was also the year when Kinad, Inc., was awarded the prestigious Pillars Award for community service by the Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board. Nor is it surprising that by 2005, facing both popular demand and the need for more space and methods to disseminate information, Kinad undertook the design and construction of a 40-foot long Mobile Museum, housed in a beautifully remodeled, generously donated Miami-Dade County Transit bus. With almost as much fascinating information on its exterior surface as on the inside, the Mobile African American Museum is an irresistible conversation piece wherever it travels. Most importantly, it provides an effective and efficient way to bring the grand saga of the African experience, from ancient times to the present, directly to schools and other locations, providing all of the excitement of field trips at far less cost in dollars, energy and organizational effort.

What began as a bold effort to address a passionately felt concern is now a reality with almost unlimited potential. Kinad, Inc.’s track record, popularity and knowledge gained from accumulated experience all stand the organization in good stead to be a major contributor to the enhancement of education in South Florida and throughout the State.