African American Sites in Florida

African Americans have risen from the slave plantations of nineteenth-century Florida to become the heads of corporations and members of Congress in the twenty-first century. They have played an important role in making Florida the successful state it is today. This book takes you on a tour, through the 67 counties, of the sites that commemorate the role of African Americans in Florida’s history.

Much of the history of the sites offered in this book is positive—the many churches, lodges, schools, and businesses that played a role in the history of Florida blacks. But other sites are an indictment of the racism that permeated much of our past: the lynching trees, the inferior facilities forced upon blacks, and the burial sites of slaves. If we can learn more about our past, both the good and the not-so-good, we can make better decisions in the future. And we will know the importance of preserving the one-room schools, the battlefields, the community colleges, and the many other places that have remained neglected for too long.

Behind the hundreds of sites in this book are the courageous African Americans like Brevard County’s Malissa Moore, who hosted many Saturday night dinners to raise money to build a church, and Miami-Dade’s Gedar Walker, who built the first-rate Lyric Theater for black performers. And of course also featured are the more famous black Floridians like Zora Neale Hurston, Jackie Robinson, Mary McCleod Bethune, and Ray Charles.