Neighborhood News Bureau

Category: History

  • When baseball stars came to town, they stayed with him

    When baseball stars came to town, they stayed with him

    BY DAVID STONER, Neighborhood News Bureau

    Most people know that Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargel, and Frank Robinson are three of the greatest baseball players of all time.  What people may not know is that these ballplayers, along with others, were a part of Midtown history.

    During the late 1950’s and 1960’s, many of the teams in major league baseball conducted spring training in St. Petersburg.  This era was a time of racial tension and segregation.  Baseball was not exempt from these divisive issues.  During spring training, most teams typically stayed at one of two hotels in St. Petersburg; the Vinoy and the Soreno.

    Segregation issues resulted in the minority players being denied the right to stay with the team in those hotels.  Instead, the minority ballplayers sought housing in St. Petersburg’s African-American community.   Paul Stewart, whose grandparents housed some of the ballplayers, remembers the era well.  “Here were these guys making all of this money and they couldn’t even go downtown and sit to have a meal.  Can you imagine having all this money and you couldn’t spend it because you can’t go places.  That stuck in my mind then and now.  They had to live in our house and couldn’t live with all ballplayers in a hotel.”

    Local families around the Midtown community invited the ballplayers into their homes for lodging and meals. It was not unusual for those Midtown homeowners to have every available room filled with mattresses and rollaway beds to accommodate the visiting ballplayers.  Players were invited to share meals with the host families.  They were treated like family.

    Beatrice Harper and her husband, along with their grandson, Paul Stewart, opened their homes for lodging and meals at 1739 18th St. S. in Midtown to several famous ballplayers, including Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargel and Frank Robinson.  Stewart recalls his experiences he had with the visiting ballplayer Roberto Clemente.  “I had twin beds in my room, and Roberto Clemente used to be my  roommate when they came up.”

    The hosts and their families had unique opportunities to interact with the famous ballplayers.  One such opportunity, Paul Stewart remembers was helping Robert Clemente learn English in the evenings, in his room, after practice.  “He was just learning English and what we would do at night was we would sit up in the bed and he would try to explain to me different events that happened to him during the day and he wanted to know what should he have said, so I would try to give him the English version of what he should say in certain situations.”

    The neighborhood children also enjoyed special opportunities to play impromptu baseball games with the baseball superstars.  In the backyard, behind the Harper home, the neighborhood kids fashioned a baseball diamond where the big leaguers would come over and play with them after returning from practice.  “My buddies and I cut the grass with lawnmowers.   We had our own little baseball field back there.  It was big enough to hit the ball as long as we wanted”, said Stewart.  Some of the players who joined in in the games were Clemente and Stargel.  Stargel was known as the clown of the group and kept everyone laughing.

    Despite having to endure the injustice of segregation, the ballplayers presence in Midtown enhanced the already deep and proud history of the area.

    Listen to the interview recorded during the “Telling Tampa Bay Stories: Midtown” event in partnership with WUSF.

    https://soundcloud.com/user-523497906/interview-with-paul-stewart-recorded-by-david-stoner-neighborhood-news-bureau-reporter/s-k0BPr

     

    You can also listen to the version of the story that was aired on Florida Matters.

  • Gallery celebrates second year, highlights Florida-born artist

    Gallery celebrates second year, highlights Florida-born artist

    REPORTING BY KATIE CALLIHAN AND MARLA KORENICH
    PHOTOS BY KATIE CALLIHAN
    NNB Reporters

    MIDTOWN-During February of 2014, a massive snowstorm known as PAX froze and shut down the entire heartbeat of the city of Atlanta.

     

    Mitchell, 33, talks with a Guest about her art pieces. She says, “ I usually say a prayer at the beginning of the week and then come up with paintings I want to do. The Lord never disappoints.”
    Mitchell, 33, talks with a Guest about her art pieces. She says, “ I usually say a prayer at the beginning of the week and then come up with paintings I want to do. The Lord never disappoints.”

    The major power outages left more than 100,000 people in the dark without heat for days, and for some, weeks. (source: http://time.com/6747/over-200000-without-power-in-georgia-as-winter-storm-descends/)

     

    During that snowstorm two years ago, Melissa Mitchell was one of the many stuck inside. With nothing else to do, her curiosity peaked and she decided to pick up a paintbrush for the first time.

    Within the first two weeks of her new painting career, Mitchell had sold 20 pieces. This was clear evidence that she had something special worth pursuing.

    Mitchell said, “I was always colorful and creative, but I never painted before because I didn’t think I could.”

    Little did she know that just a couple years later, she would be the featured artist at Gallerie 909’s second year anniversary celebration this past Sunday in Midtown, St. Petersburg.

    Walking into the gallery, natural light bounced onto her collection from a large window next to the front door.

    Many laughs were shared as stories were told about the different pieces of art displayed.
    Many laughs were shared as stories were told about the different pieces of art displayed.

    Her vibrant pieces covered the main entry white wall on the right-hand side of the room.

    They added life that displayed bold, black lines contrasted by a pop of bright colors.

    “My pieces are organized chaos. The black lines give balance,” Mitchell said about her painting style.

    Spread across a white shelf and scattered under her wall of paintings, Mitchell was also selling handmade earrings. Mitchell said that she started to make earrings for herself because she couldn’t find anything else to buy that matched her bright clothes.

     

    “Chanel West came all the way down from Boston to Tampa in August. She now bakes from her home to support her two daughters.”
    Chanel West came all the way down from Boston to Tampa in August. She now bakes from her home to support her two daughters.

    Mitchell has already sold over 300 pieces of jewelry without any traditional advertisements. She said that she only executes Facebook and Instagram as her network and marketing tools.

    “I’m definitely a millennial,” said Mitchell. “All of my business is either from social media or word of mouth.”

    This was not Mitchell’s first time in the hot seat. Since day one, Mitchell has already participated in about seven art shows and has sold over 150 pieces total.

    Bright fabric like orange sherbet ice cream was wrapped around Mitchell’s head.“This is my artwork too,” she said. She explained that printing her paintings on fabric is another project she’s going to start working on for others to purchase as well.

    Patrick Collins, neighbor to the gallery and owner of Deuces BBQ, poses with one of his cooks smoking ribs and shrimp during the peak of lunch hour.
    Patrick Collins, neighbor to the gallery and owner of Deuces BBQ, poses with one of his cooks smoking ribs and shrimp during the peak of lunch hour.

    During the celebration at Gallerie 909, Mitchell sold at least 12 pieces, but she said that wasn’t her biggest success of the day.

    “I spoke to an artist that is now ready to restart. If I encourage anyone, it is a good trip,” Mitchell said.

    Mitchell was just one of the many artists that were welcomed by Carla Bristol, Gallerie 909’s owner and event curator.
    Gathered around tables of plates with fresh baked mini-cheesecakes and BBQ pork sandwiches painters, musicians, sculptors, and friends all shared one reason for being there.

    They just love Carla Bristol.

    Annie Tyrell, owner of Annie’s Beauty Supply, gave Bristol credit for her success.

    Annie Tyrell, owner of Annie’s Beauty Supply, poses with her niece Brenda Jackson.
    Annie Tyrell, owner of Annie’s Beauty Supply, poses with her niece Brenda Jackson.

    Tyrell moved her beauty supply store to be Bristol’s neighbor. Their storefronts now face each other on the Deuces. Tyrell said that Bristol found the new location for her.

     

    Tyrell followed Bristol’s advice.

    “At my old location, I was dead, and now, I am alive,” said Tyrell. “She is the life behind the Deuces.”

    Creative Pinellas executive director Barbara St. Clair, was one of many in the crowd and said, “She’s a dynamo. Every time she does something, it’s great.”

    “This is a place for connecting,” said Bristol.

    Bristol hopes to expand the gallery to even include art that people can wear.

    Bristol also mentioned that she wants larger workshop classes for the future.

    Gallery owner and event curator, Carla Bristol, demonstrates how she greets every guest with a hug.
    Gallery owner and event curator, Carla Bristol, demonstrates how she greets every guest with a hug.
  • Telling Tampa Bay Stories: Midtown Edition

    Telling Tampa Bay Stories: Midtown Edition

    The Perfect Gifts ,fashion and popular,Women’s Accessories,Earrings ,Bracelet,Necklaces ,Charms, RiNG ,Best Silver Jewelry ,Cheap gift, Cheap Jewelry ,Special Offer Gift .To friend , To me ,Give it to her . Abcdef shop, The Best Choice

    April 14, 2016
  • Local artists revive the Deuces

    Local artists revive the Deuces

    REPORTING BY KATIE CALLIHAN AND MARLA KORENICH
    PHOTOS BY KATIE CALLIHAN
    NNB Reporters

    MIDTOWN – On Saturday, February 27th, Midtown hosted St. Petersburg’s first Black Arts Festival. This event pulled various vendors from across the world into one vacant, grass lot at the corner of 9th Avenue South and 22nd Street South.

    The owner of Gallerie 909, Carla Bristol, curated and hosted the community event.

    _MG_5425
    Carla Bristol stops to speak with one of her many visitors gazing at the various collections of artwork located at 909 22nd street south.

    “I decided to do this event as a culmination for black history month,” said Bristol.

    The Southside Blues Brothers were playing live facing 22nd street south. You could hear the combination of the piano, guitar, and deep, soul-filled vocals from a mile away.

    Bristol selected this particular band to attract and to remind the community members of the momentum that the Deuces could still carry once again.

    _MG_5388
    The Southside Blues Brothers added energy and soul to the Black Arts Festival.

    “I wanted to see the energy on the corner again – to see what the corner would be like,” said Bristol.

    The weather was cool, the sun was shining. By 11am, the layers of sweaters and jackets started to peel off and the venders were adding their final touches to their displays.

    A stimulating energy was in the air and the community started to trickle in just as Bristol had hoped.

    Across long, rectangular tables and under the roof of white, square tents, each artist displayed great spectrums of bold colors and textures; you knew that there was a story behind everything.

    Handmade jewelry with large stones, paintings with texture, lotions imported from Africa, and other goods were all being sold at fair prices.

    In the middle of all the vendors, three art stations catered a variety of crafts for children. You could catch them zipping through and winding between booths playing tag with decorated masks on their faces; colorful feathers falling from them.

    _MG_5227
    Artist, Ramel Jasir demonstrated his unique painting style that consisted of smooth lines of collected dots – his own spin off of pointillism. Jasir said that he used to be a musician. Without prior sketching or making outlines, he says, “The music takes the line in different directions.”

    A few artists, “Freddy Fred” and “Zulu Painter” from the Bloom Art Center participated in their first art show. “Zulu Painter” was painting live against his easel. He said that he finds inspiration by first looking at magazines. When he finds certain images that he likes, he then paints them together as one collective image.

    _MG_5300
    Sehou Saho from Senegal imports shea butter from his homeland in Africa to make and sell. “The shea butter helps people and I like to help people,” said Saho.

    Another contributor in the festival was traveling Folk Artist, Sandy Hall.

    Hall, mother of six, stood in the middle of a small, shaded tent that stretched about as far as both of her fingers could point.

    “This is my life,” she said as she directed her guest’s eyes across her display of paintings that varied in different rectangular shapes and sizes.

    Hall shared that growing up, her family loved to tell stories.

    “Our stories kept us together as a family. I can’t tell the stories, but I can paint them,” said Hall.

    When asked how she learned to paint, Hall’s story began to unfold.
    In 2001, TV show ‘Bob Ross’ was playing in the background of a hospital room.

    Hall was diagnosed with cancer.

    Her mobility and her creativity were limited to the stark walls of the hospital that seemed to be closing in.

    One day, Hall’s nurse explained that she would soon be expecting a visitor, Hall’s mother. This was the last thing that Hall was emotionally prepared for.

    _MG_5194
    Folk artist, Sandy Hall.

    Hall was faced with a deep trance that forced a paralyzing apathy that had taken over her mind and body. She had no desire to do anything.

    “The nurse kept trying to get me to crochet or do puzzles,” Hall said.

    To make her mother happy, Hall decided that she would try to look busy, try to look entertained and try to hide the pain.

    “It wasn’t until my mother came and I had to be on my best behavior,” said Hall.

    For the first time in her life, Hall picked up a paintbrush and an empty canvas.

    Out of desperation, she began to paint.  

    Since that day, for Hall, everything changed. Hall succeeded in beating cancer and her newly discovered talent put all six of her children through school.

    Traveling in a passenger van, Hall said, “I used to line up my kids in an assembly line and have them help me with picture framing.”

    They say that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.

    Today, Hall still makes a living selling her paintings online and in various art festivals across the country.

    Overall, St. Petersburg’s first Black Arts Festival was a great success and it inspired all ages to find and maintain their creativity.

    _MG_5350
    From Gainsville, Jordahn-Syhmone & Giahnna Nicholé demonstrate making their custom, copper jewelry pieces.
    _MG_5333
    The duo hopes to soon find a storefront here in St. Petersburg. “We started experimenting with friends and making jewelry and thought, we can sell this,” they said.

    Bristol plans on putting together more community events like this.

    For more information about Bristol’s gallery, Gallerie 909, stop by at 909 22nd St. South.

    Gallerie 909 is a stop on St. Petersburg’s Second Saturday Artwalk. The next art walk will be on March, 12th. There is free parking and entry into all participating galleries and studios.

    _MG_5371
    Artist, Fanta Celah from Chicago explained that her jewelry pieces take from 30 minutes up to 18 hours. She started designing and making her own pieces around 1990 when she saw her friends doing it first – so she picked it up herself.

    For more information about the art walk, please contact the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance at 727.518.5142 or email them at info@stpeteartsalliance.org.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Centerpiece of Midtown loses its limelight

    BY JASON SAAB
    NNB Reporter

    [Edited by Katie Callihan]

    MIDTOWN – The Manhattan Casino opened its doors in 1927 and was the centerpiece of Midtown St. Petersburg.

    It was founded by Elder Jordan, a Midtown community member and local entrepreneur. His ultimate goal for the casino was to create a space for the Midtown community to come as equals, let go of fear and dance off all tension during harsh segregated times.

    It was the community’s go-to spot, also visited by some of the greatest jazz musicians of that time.

    The Manhattan Casino thrived as a part of the “Chitlin’ Circuit.” This was a route traveled by performers including B.B. King, Ray Charles, and Duke Ellington.

    Alvin Burns, the former trumpet player for The Manzy Harris Band, also played at the Midtown casino.

    In the film “Remembering the Manhattan,” Burns said, “There were bars, pool rooms, drug stores, grocery stores, and the Manhattan Casino was the nerve-center for the black community.”

    Al Williams, former trumpet player for the George Cooper Band, said in the film “Remembering the Manhattan,” “People wanted to go to New York, they were traveling there, some couldn’t go there, some did make it, and others never went, so the Manhattan Casino was named for that. It was the closest thing to New York they had.”  

    The Manhattan was a place that not only had a friendly atmosphere, but a structure that brought such rare access to such timely, famous musicians.

    Since its golden era, the Manhattan Casino has become a shell of its former self. Its undoing was ironically because of the desegregation movement.

    When desegregation went into effect, the black community in Midtown became more accepted in the downtown area where they were formerly banned.

    “Blacks could now visit locations outside of their traditional boundaries of the segregated years, but few whites came to places such as the Manhattan,” said Shnur, the archivist in special collections at University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

    Once the Midtown community members felt free to move outside of Midtown, they left.

    With both the black and white communities of St. Petersburg frequenting only the downtown area, the abandoned Manhattan Casino closed its doors in 1966.

    In 2013, as part of former Mayor Bill Foster’s ‘Foster’s Forty’ plan, the Manhattan Casino reopened its doors after being left vacant for almost 50 years.

    Despite the efforts to remodel Midtown’s old treasure, it’s hard to say that the old, historic landmark will ever be the same centerpiece it once was.

    The Manhattan Casino currently hosts Sylvia’s Restaurant on the bottom floor and an empty dance hall used exclusively for private events on the top floor.

    The community’s once ‘go-to’ spot has now become an empty hall of vacant seats.

    Norman Jones, a community consultant for the film “Remembering the Manhattan”, said: “It was the end of an era, end of segregation, beginning of integration, and our community went to sleep.”

  • African American Heritage Trail: Mercy Hospital’s past is linked to Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center’s present

    African American Heritage Trail: Mercy Hospital’s past is linked to Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center’s present

    BY YURI ROSS,  TATIANA CUBAS, AND DAVID STONER
    NNB Reporters

    MIDTOWN — Mercy Hospital was the only facility that provided medical care to St. Petersburg’s African-American residents.

    It operated between 1923 and 1961. This had its advantages as compassionate professionals dedicated the best possible care to their community.

    Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center maintains the historic value of Mercy Hospital and continues to use the same mission, providing quality of care at a low cost.

    According to Cheryl Robinson, clinical operations director, the health center opened in May of 1985 in the basement of Lakeview Presbyterian Church. It later moved to the Mercy Hospital site in February of 2004.

    While health care is not free, the health center accepts all managed care plans and many commercial plans. For uninsured patients, the facility has a discount service fee based on income and number of family members in the household, Robinson said.

    The health center provides services in pediatric, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, behavioral health, and dental care. It is one of ten centers in the Community Health Centers of Pinellas network. The center has its own ACCESS program to provide help for those in need, and the ACCESS program attends many community functions to keep the community aware of its services, said Robinson. They also hold several community events every year including the annual African American Health Forum and the Junior League Back to School event.

    There have been no plans to expand their services at this time.

    Mercy Hospital became an important part of the community since it was the only hospital to provide care to African-Americans during segregation when integration was not available. It provided low cost care and performed all types of surgeries. A gallery that commemorates Mercy Hospital has signs saying that the staff and patients knew each other and the patients were not simply numbers. It became family oriented and the heart of the community.

    However, the hospital would experience its burdens because of its small size.

    Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center maintains a link to the history of Mercy Hospital. The renovations at the health center allowed the Mercy Hospital to be connected to the it.

  • African American Heritage Trail: The Historic Manhattan Casino

    The Historic Manhattan Casino comes to life at night with Jazz performances from local Jazz artists following in the footsteps of former greats.

    Photo courtesy of Tim Arruda

    Listen to live jazz as you delve into a soulful menu of upscale southern comfort at Sylvia’s St. Pete.

    Experience southern staples and a new twist on old favorites.

    BY LAURA MULROONEY AND JASON SAAB
    NNB Reporters

    Constructed by Elder Jordan Sr., one of the first African American businessmen in St. Petersburg, FL and his sons was and has remained a quintessential establishment in Midtown since 1925.

    For 40 years, the Manhattan Casino played a significant role as a social hub for the community.

    The Manhattan was once a venue on the renowned southern “Chitlin Circuit,” a string of venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper mid-west areas of the United States that were safe for African American performers of all genres to perform uninhibited.

    George Grogan served as the booking agent responsible for bringing in big acts, while simultaneously employed at Gibbs High School as a chemistry teacher.

    Major jazz and blues performers, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, B.B. King, Fat Domino, Count Bassie, Otis Redding and local legendary icons Al Downing, LeRoy Flemmings Jr., Al Williams, and George ‘Buster’ Cooper played at the venue.

    Al Downing, also a teacher at Gibbs High School inspired many students throughout the years with his passion and skill, some of the impressionable youth followed in his footsteps like Buster Cooper.

    Cooper learned music from Downing during his formative years at Gibbs High School.

    Buster would eventually go on to play throughout the country, but started off at the Manhattan where he would play with his cousin’s band and any swing bands that would allow him to sit in as they visited. Buster remembers the Manhattan being the “only place we could play at that time.”

    The casino closed in 1966 due to effects of integration throughout the city, allowing African American musicians greater exposure by playing in once closed off parts of the city.

    In 2005 The Manhattan was renovated under the initiative of former St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster.

    After many years of debate and fiscal hardship, once just a dance hall and center for community events the space packs twice the punch.

    On the first floor Sylvia’s Queen of Soul Food Restaurant opened in 2013 and is the first upscale soul food eatery in St. Petersburg.

    Sylvia’s serves down home cooking with a swanky ambiance. Piping hot corn bread is served upon seating as a four-page menu is placed in front of you. The menu offers three styles of chicken and waffles, grilled, blackened, fried, and BBQ seafood options, and every southern side dish imaginable.

    Upstairs stills serves it’s purpose as a dance and event hall.

    The Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, Inc. continues to keep the music alive at the Manhattan with live Jazz Jams every second Sunday of the month. With major events such as Jazz Jams culminating conclusion of the St. Petersburg Jazz Festival

    Jazz is offered every Saturday downstairs at Sylvia’s from 11-2. Sylvia’s also hosts a Gospel Brunch every Sunday.

    Buster Cooper Quote and Interview courtesy of Jon Tallon- Florida Historian
    King’s Dream Unite and Manhattan Casino night photos courtesy of Tim Arruda

    Visit the King’s Dream Unite mural painted by artist Ya La’ford to recognize unity within the community.

    Photo Courtesy of Tim Arruda

    Internationally known artist Ya La’ford incorporates lights with her murals to remind residents that hope can be found in the darkest places.

    Local musicians bring the old Jazz hall back to life every Saturday and the second Sunday of every month.

  • Historic buildings with a hopeful future

     

    BY MIRANDA BORCHARDT AND BRIANNA ENDERS
    NNB Reporters

    MIDTOWN — Teresa Williams stood on the balcony of the historic Swain Apartments looking out onto The Deuces, 22nd Street South.

    Before the interstate, the desolate street was a hub of activity.

    “They say it used to be hopping back then,” she said.

    The interstate was built through the community in the late 1960s, forcing residents to relocate, “it became a dead area,” Williams said.

    Williams is the property manager of the business and apartments at the corner of 22nd Street and 15th Avenue South. She inherited this responsibility from her parents, William and Annette Howard, the current owners who are no longer able to maintain the buildings due to health conditions.

    Annette, a member of the 22nd Street Redevelopment Corporation, suffered a stroke in 2010.

    “(The community group’s) goal was to revitalize, make it functional, utilize it better,” Williams said.

    The commercial building was originally constructed in 1954 by Dr. Robert James Swain, a progressive dentist. He established his practice in 1954 and continued to practice dentistry in St. Pete until his death in 1996, according to StPete.org.

    Swain was an influential figure in the community, known for pressing for equal opportunity during the segregation era.

    He challenged Section 3 of the City of St. Petersburg’s Charter, which established separate residential and commercial areas for whites and African Americans in 1931, according to StPete.org.

    The state-of-the-art Swain Dental Office was built on the opposite side of 15th Avenue, impeding on the government allocated “white” territory, and was the first dental office for African Americans in the area at the time.

    Two years later, in 1956, Swain appended the residential apartment building behind his office to house African American Major League baseball players who were denied the right to stay with their white teammates during spring training.

    Annette Howard converted the Swain Dental Office building, which had previously been transformed into a doctor’s office years earlier, into the Golden Shears hair salon. Williams transitioned from her nursing career as an LPN at Bay Pines Medical after her divorce to being a hairstylist in order to “take advantage of what was here (her parent’s property),” she said. It also allowed her to have a more flexible schedule while she was raising her daughter.

    Her parent’s health issues in recent years caused Williams to re-direct her focus from being a full time stylist to tending to the well-being of her family members as their primary caregiver and managing the residential property to generate income for the family.

    Williams, along with her parents and 99-year-old grandmother, live in the three ground level apartment units and rent out the top three.

    “Everything’s so scattered,” she said. “Everything’s like… My life’s like a tossed salad.”

    The three one-bedroom units are rented for $600 a month and have original cabinetry with updated flooring, fans and appliances. Williams works to enhance each apartment as tenants cycle through.

    William’s dream for the business is a boutique-style salon where stylists would rent their own stations and bring in their own customers. 

    Making that dream come true could help make this area come alive again.

    Photos: Historic buildings with a hopeful future

  • Admired African American women come back to life

    Admired African American women come back to life

    BY IVELLIAM CEBALLO
    NNB Reporter

    MIDTOWN — Two lively women sang a freedom hymn as they walked into a small, open gallery with no seats left empty.

    Historically important African American women Mary McLeod Bethune and Zora Neale Hurston shared their stories of perseverance during the “Two takes on a Dream” speaker series at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum Thursday, Feb. 11. The series is called “Two takes on a Dream.”

    Chautauqua scholars Ersula Odom Knox portrayed Bethune and Phyllis McEwen portrayed Hurston.

    McEwen’s portrayal of Hurston kept the room laughing out loud. Hurston came to life through her Southern accent and sass when sharing about her experiences and in her back-and-forth with her friend Bethune. She has been portraying Hurston since 1991.

    During the performance, the audience felt Hurston’s pride in her heritage when she said, “I was a negro baby, a negro girl and a negro woman.”

    Ceballo_Chataucqua_03

    Hurston was born in Alabama, but moved to Florida with her family as a toddler. She was a daughter of former slaves and dedicated her life to studying, collecting African American folklore and writing, according to her biography. She was influential to the Harlem Renaissance, a time when famous African Americans shed light on their culture through their creative and scientific work.

    “Zora inspires the creative spark for me,” McEwen said. “The way she shared her work inspires me to share my work.”

    McEwen said that the genius in these two women is “frightening.” The two scholars contemplated on the fact that these two women were very busy and the span of their influence was immeasurable to society.  

    “People are afraid of Zora’s intellect,” McEwen said when referring to the author’s books.

    McEwen’s favorite book written by Hurston is “Dust Tracks on a Road” because Hurston tells the story of her own life. Her struggles in life and the way she handled them were inspirational, according to McEwen.

    Bethune was an unbelievable woman, according to Odom who has been portraying her for public programs for the humanities council since 2006.

    “She did so many incredible things that people may not be aware of,” Odom said. “If (people) knew they would have personal pride because they can relate to her as an African American woman.”

    Ceballo_Chataucqua_01

    Originally from South Carolina, Bethune was born of former slaves and the only member in her family of 17 siblings that attended school, according to her biography. Odom shared her story with the audience and in her performance expressed Bethune’s love of learning and sharing her knowledge. While reminiscing on her childhood during the performance, Bethune remembered how much she enjoyed teaching her family the things she learned at school since they didn’t have the opportunity to receive a formal education. She was an educator since she was 10.

    The name Bethune-Cookman University may ring a bell when people think of this determined woman. After teaching in Georgia and South Carolina, Bethune’s dream was to open her own school so she did with $1.50 in Daytona, Florida, and five students, according to the university’s history.

    “She was able to do so much in one lifetime,” Odom said. “She was able to pull people together of diverse backgrounds in order to achieve a common goal.”

    One of the accomplishments that impresses Odom the most was Bethune’s access to the White House. She advised five presidents and founded the National Council of Negro Women, a civil rights organization to help the progress of African American women in society.

    Odom’s study and research of Bethune has inspired her to be more like the civil rights activist and educator.

    “After what would Jesus do is what would Mary McLeod Bethune do,” she said.

    Odom has written a new book which will be released soon. She tells the story of Dorris Rossreddick who was the first African American woman to sit on the Hillsborough County school board and to chair it, according to the author.

    McEwen, like Odom, is also a writer, and artist too. Her work will be displayed during an art show at Studio 620 in March.

    John Hayner, an 80-year-old philatelist from Clearwater attended the reenactment. Hayner was there because he went to Eatonville the day that Zora Neale Hurston’s stamp was issued on Jan. 24, 2003 and he let her know at the end of the performance when guests were welcome to interact with the presenters.

    Ceballo_Chataucqua_04

    Hayner lived in British Guinea as a child and appreciates African American history because he experienced being the “only white boy in school.”

    Miriam Romo, 35, of Meadowlawn, attended the performance to listen to poetry and for her son.

    “My son is mixed. The more I know, the more I can transfer on to him,” Romo said referring to African American history. “It’s important to know where you’re coming from.”

    Another mother, Ginande Jester from Clearwater, was also there for her 15-year-old daughter and is committed to go to events like this monthly with her.

    “My objective is to support local events so my daughter gets a sense of history,” Jester said.

    Jester’s daughter, Zxamara, said it was cool that the women being portrayed had Florida roots.

    Today their legacy lives on.

    “Someone said we’re dead,” Bethune jokingly said to Hurston when the audience had time to converse with them after they finished the performance.

  • Flag raised over City Hall commemorates 40 years of Black History Month

    BY LAURA MULROONEY
    NNB Reporter

    ST. PETERSBURG – History was made February 1 at City Hall.

    Amid applause, whoops and laughter, Mayor Rick Kriseman raised a flag over City Hall commemorating 40 years of Black History Month.

    The flag featured the likeness of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an educator, author and historian who is known as the father of Black History Month.

    After the flag was raised, Terri Lipsey Scott, chair of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum in St. Petersburg, praised Kriseman for the important gesture.

    She commended him on doing what no other St. Petersburg mayor has ever done, “which was to acknowledge and commemorate the contributions that African Americans have made to this nation by flying, over a government institution, a flag in honor of not only Dr. Carter G. Woodson but African American history,” said Scott.

    In response, Kriseman said that “one of the many things that makes our community so special is our black history and the countless contributions that black individuals and families have made, and continue to make.”

    Last March, Kriseman also won plaudits when he announced that the city will try to purchase and preserve the Woodson museum, a long-simmering point of controversy between the museum board and the museum’s landlord, the St. Petersburg Housing Authority.

    Two months earlier, the Housing Authority board had voted 4-3 to sell the small community museum at 2240 9th Ave. S.

    Since then the city has announced a plan to purchase the building with the intent to keep it as a cultural landmark, museum, and now city building.

    In praising Kriseman’s recognition of the city’s diversity and the importance of keeping its history alive, Scott quoted Woodson: “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”

    Woodson announced the celebration of “Negro History Week” in 1926, in effort to preserve African American history, which had been routinely overlooked in history books.

    In 1976 “Negro History Week” was extended to encompass the entire month of February. Some say that the establishment of Black History Month is counterproductive to Woodson’s initial intent.

    Relegating black history to one month excuses the full integration of black history into mainstream education.

    This is not the first time Kriseman has made steps to unify the community and demonstrate St. Petersburg’s inclusiveness.

    During Pride Week in 2015, Kriseman flew the LGBT Pride Flag over City Hall and returned as the parade’s honorary grand marshal along with former St. Petersburg Assistant Police Chief Melanie Brevan.

    Laura Mulrooney is a reporter in the Neighborhood News Bureau at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.