It’s all about service for new Miami-Dade...
But as the years went by, King said, she started to practice more family law and helped people to navigate getting a divorce or mostly single men to get visitation rights to see their children.
This was a big thing for her because in the state where she lives, according to King, fathers don’t have a lot of rights as while they have to pay child support they may not have the right to see their children.
“The state would pay for a mother to go after a father for child support but they don’t address time sharing, which is very unfair I feel. So by word of mouth, because I never advertised my practice…fathers would come to me, mothers as well,” she said.
King also dealt with landlord and tenant issues, revealing that she herself is a landlord and as president of the non-profit she also operated a business centre. In her role as landlord she needed to know about leasing and evictions. She also had clients with personal injuries’ suits.
“So it is still of service, and while practicing I did a lot of pro bono work. I helped a lot of young women who resided in public housing [with] unsafe or unsanitary housing conditions. And every single time I got involved I was able to resolve their issues, but that was pro bono work. I didn’t get paid for it,” she shared.
King said she will continue to practice law, balancing being commissioner with her practice as there is only a small salary that comes with her new position.
Guyanese roots
King said her Guyanese upbringing is the major contributing factor to the woman she is today. She was born in Kitty and migrated to the US at a very young age but her mom, Zezan Beharally, who is of Awarak-Indian and East Indian descent, ensured that their upbringing was Guyanese.
“My mom raised us with a traditional Guyanese upbringing. Like we were not allowed to sleep over at anyone’s house and just things like that… I don’t necessarily refer to it as the Guyanese upbringing because it is the only upbringing I know. Family first before anything else,” she said.
She recalled that her mother was very hardworking and when she went to the US she had no family and very shortly after they moved her parents separated. She grew up with her mom and brother for some years before her sister returned from England, where she was living with their grandmother.
While her mom raised them, King said she remained very close to her father, Dr Colin Forde, who is of black and white descent, even though he had moved to New York.
Her relationship with both of her parents was and is a good one, but she shared that they did not get along too well.
“And that is probably why I went into family law as well, because I understood the dynamics of children being deprived of their divorced parents and how it affects them,” she said.
Growing up in the US, King said, curry and roti was a staple in their home and they had pepperpot at Christmas. She said they did not eat traditional American food because her mother cooked.
She shared that in 2019, she returned to Guyana with her mother and took her to Wakapau village, which is located in the PomeroonSupenaam Region, where they still have family. They also visited several places in Georgetown.
Her daughter came with her during that visit and she recalled how she was hooked on sorrel and mauby and even at home in America she loves those drinks instead of sodas. Her children also love curry.
She is proud of her Guyanese heritage, which was promoted during her campaign and she believes that most of those who make up the large Guyanese community in her district voted for her.
King intends to visit Guyana next year.
Speaking to young Guyanese, King encouraged them to follow their dreams and to give a little to someone who does not have, as that is how good communities are created and how one uplifts oneself.