From left to right: Cynthia Lawrence, 89, Emma Bouie, 90, and Irene Pettigrew, 92, attend a luncheon at the Bethel House Bahamian American Museum on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Perrine, Fla. They are among a group of six women being honored during the museum’s inaugural Perrine Pioneer Women luncheon.
mocner@miamiherald.com
Cynthia Lawrence worked in the housekeeping department at the Miami-Dade County School Board for 16 years before she and her husband opened a dry cleaning business. Fifty-four years later, Henry’s Dry Cleaners and Laundry Service, on Hibiscus Street in West Perrine, is one of the oldest Black-owned businesses in the area, and has helped shape the small, predominantly Black South Dade community over the years.
Lawrence, 89, was among six women honored Saturday for their contributions to the Perrine community. They were recognized at the historic Bethel African Bahamian Museum at the inaugural Perrine Pioneer Women luncheon.
“She was instrumental in helping build this community,” Lawrence’s son, Curtis, told the Miami Herald. “We have the oldest owned and operated black business here in this community. And you know that she played a part in building this community.”
Helen Gage, the museum’s founder and operator, said she wanted to honor the women as a way to preserve Perrine’s history. Each of the women, Gage said, are important to preserving West Perrine’s history at a time when the community is experiencing rapid gentrification and homeowners are moving away from the area of about 10,000 people.
“They have lived here for years, raised their family here, built their homes, and they’re still here, even though the community is changing, but they stay,” Gage said. “I figure, let’s have something special for them.”
The Bethel House was built in 1937 by African-Bahamian settlers who arrived in the county in the early 1900s. Gage led efforts to preserve the house after it was set for demolition in 1995. The house had withstood Hurricane Andrew’s devastation three years prior.
In 1996, the Bethel House was designated as a historic site and was relocated to 102nd Court in Perrine. The museum opened in 2006.
Other honorees at Saturday’s luncheon were Irene Pettigrew, 92, a former housekeeper and Jordan Marsh department store employee, and Emma Bouie, 90, who still owns and operates a real estate business in Perrine.
Gage said she will deliver the honors to Maebell Williams, 100, Emma Miller, 99, and Helen Sumpter, 96, who couldn’t attend Saturday’s festivities.
Pettigrew put roots down in Perrine in 1949 with her family as a young girl, and eventually built her first home in the community. Unlike the Bethel House, Hurricane Andrew destroyed her original home. But she decided to build again in Perrine after buying a lot.
Pettigrew was humble about the honor.
“It’s something to be proud of because you ain’t too low to get no recognition regardless what you do,” Pettigrew said. “But try to live right and treat other people like you want to be treated.”
Bouie and her husband have strong ties to the community, having owned rental properties in the area. They also built Mount Moriah Baptist Church, the oldest Missionary Baptist Church in West Perrine, said Bouie’s youngest daughter, Gwendolyn Hines.
“It means a lot to her,” Hines said. “She’s honored to be a part of the Bethel House and the community that she served in for so long, and being an asset in the community with charity and fundraisers and things of that nature to keep the history going.”
Gage said she hopes to continue the honor every other year.
“A story needs to be told about this community,” she said. “As I drive through, it’s changing. I don’t know what the end is going to be.”
Raisa Habersham
Miami Herald
Raisa Habersham is the race and culture reporter for the Miami Herald. She previously covered Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale for the Herald with a focus on housing and affordability. Habersham is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She joined the Herald in 2022.
