Carla Bristol paints the outside of the wall that connects the Southcity Grocery and Meat Market with Life Changing Church of The Living God Pillar at the intersection of 22nd Street South and 9th Avenue South as part of the revival of “The Deuces,” the historic shopping corridor in Midtown.
Vibrant colors and other changes will make people feel differently when they come here, Bristol said.
“They always say the best way to make a change is a gallon of paint, I think we’re going to prove that,” said Bristol, 47, owner of the nearby Gallerie 909. “We’re going to prove that just community and individuals can make a difference. It’s not that difficult. If you want something to change just change it.” Gallerie 909 celebrates its second anniversary April 17 at its 22nd Street location.
ST. PETERSBURG – The renaissance of the 22nd Street corridor, also known as the Deuces, continues to build up steam. At its prime, big names such as Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington and James Brown could be seen working and playing along the corridor.
Although no giants in the entertainment industry could been seen hanging out on the Deuces last Sunday, what you could see was food, fun and local entertainment at the inaugural “Family Day on the Deuces.”
Over 50 people attended the event at Deuces BBQ, 911 22nd St.
The festivities kicked off at 3 p.m. with a Macaroni and cheese contest, whole hog roast, crawfish boil and live music from the Southside Blues Brothers and special guests: local rapper, Varis and Marques Clark, poet and author of “Poetically Correct.”
“I saw (the event) online and haven’t had crawfish in awhile, so I figured I’d make the drive to get some,” said Joe Toscano, who came from Palm Harbor.
The focus of the event was to give people a reason to come down to the Deuces and connect with the community while having fun, according to Patrick Collins, owner of Deuces BBQ, who helped plan the day. Co-sponsors of the event included neighboring businesses, Chief’s Creole Café, Gallerie 909 and the Historic 22nd Street S Merchant Association.
Elihu Brayboy, owner of Chief’s Creole Café, provided the crawfish boil and was very pleased with the turnout.
“I’ve heard nothing but very good feedback. It’s very important to keep this trend up,” said Brayboy. “It brings a sense of community and brings people from other areas of this city to this area.”
There were over 15 mac n’ cheese entries for the competition and, as a family-friendly event, the kids were the official judges.
The winner of the contest, Len Nhoung, went home with a cash prize of $50 and a $50 gift card to Deuces BBQ. Carl McClellan, a chef at neighboring Chief’s Creole Café, came in second place and received a $50 gift card to Deuces BBQ.
The secret to the winning mac was the addition of mozzarella cheese, sharp cheddar cheese and crisped bacon, Nhoung said.
With a $10 ticket, visitors could get their hands on a plateful of baked beans, mac n’ cheese and barbeque pork. For $12, people could help themselves to a heap of boiled crawfish, accompanied with sausage, corn on the cob and a chunk of corn bread.
This event was perfect for people of any age, offering board games at each table, outdoor festivities, and dancing to old school blues.
The Family Day featured more than just food. There were also several vendors that included African art, portrait painters, handmade jewelry and featured pieces from Gallerie 909.
The sponsors of the gathering are expecting to host more of these types of events throughout the year in an effort to bring together the community.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
From Gainsville, Jordahn-Syhmone & Giahnna Nicholé demonstrate making their custom, copper jewelry pieces.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.
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.
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.”
ST PETERSBURG — Thurgood Marshall is well known for his civil rights activities; however, his jurisprudence style tends to be overlooked.
The St. Petersburg chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) held the Speakers for Justice Seminar last Sat., Jan. 23 honoring Justice Thurgood Marshall at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum.
Master of Ceremonies Attorney Jacqueline Hubbard, president of the St. Petersburg Chapter of ASALH gave the audience a brief yet thorough history of Justice Marshall’s academic, civil rights and legal accomplishments.
According to Hubbard, one of Marshall’s most notable accomplishments was his instrumental hand in developing the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund in 1940, which fights for racial justice through litigation, advocacy and public education. Hubbard also highlighted his victory in Brown vs. Board of Education ending legal segregation in public schools.
Imam Askia Muhammad introduced Civil Rights Attorney Delano Stewart, the first African- American assistant public defender in Hillsborough County. Stewart, who started working as an attorney more than 50 years ago, is known for his candidness in the courtroom.
“It doesn’t matter if a man likes or loathes you, if he respects you, you cannot discern the difference,” Muhammad quoted Stewart.
Stewart known as the “shield for the oppressed” spoke passionately about civil rights focusing on a theme of respect. His powerful anecdotes triggered a vast range of reactions from laughter, applause in agreement and silence of solemnity as he rapped on the podium to emphasize his points.
ACLU Attorney Adam Tebrugge spoke of Justice Marshall’s efforts to discredit the death penalty. Marshall believed that the inconsistent death penalty convictions violated the Eighth Amendment. For some 20 years, Marshall traveled throughout the South defending death penalty cases earning Marshall his reputation.
Tebrugge’s acknowledgement of Marshall’s efforts came 10 days after eight Supreme Court Justices ruled in favor of striking down Florida’s death penalty practices.
Florida previously allowed the judge, not the jury, to hand down a defendant’s sentence, a violation of a defendant’s constitutional right to have a trial by jury. The debate that is sure to follow this decision could render all inmates on death row eligible for re-sentencing.
“We have a historic opportunity at this moment in time to reach out to our elected representatives and to tell them that we here in the state of Florida do not need the death penalty and that we cannot afford the death penalty,” said Tebrugge.
The Honorable Charles Williams, Chief Judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit focused on Marshall as a person and his gregarious nature. Marshall’s ability to be fluid in different societies and knowing when to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive advanced his position in the Civil Rights Movement.
“He is the least known major civil rights figure in America and I think he has gotten the least credit,” said Williams.
ST. PETERSBURG – It was not her passion but Sandra Gadsden played basketball regardless.
For her achievements on the court, she was inducted into the South Carolina State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
So, why did she play basketball?
“It wasn’t inspiration, it was a growth spurt,” Gadsden said.
Although she wasn’t inspired to play basketball, it inspired her outlook on life. Her experience at South Carolina State University showed her how people who are considered different and marginalized deal with and navigate life.
“When you see it for the first time it’s hard to pinpoint what it is, people there go beyond just being your professor, they advise you on life, they prepare you for the real world outside of campus…you learn about adversity” Gadsden said.
Gadsden shared her story of perseverance with students from Mt. Zion Christian Academy as part of the third installment of “Light at the End of the Tunnel”, a series of storytelling events Feb. 12, at the “Blue Sunnel.”
Artist Ya La’ford designed the “Blue Sunnel” mural as a reminder to residents that they can find hope in the darkest of places. The Sunnel is an underground tunnel between Tropicana Field and Central Avenue.
The “Blue Sunnel” provided a living-room like ambience, lit with invigorating blue lights where the children sat with community leaders.
Councilwoman Darden Rice, police chief Anthony Holloway, St. Petersburg director of urban affairs Nikki Gaskin‐Capehart, and artist Bob Barancik joined Gadsden to speak about gun violence, the city budget and how to become a police officer.
The children came prepared with well prepared questions for each guest speaker. The students are assigned a research class project, where La’ford guides them through research methods for each panelist and teaches them how to ask questions that they can learn from.
The intent of the class project is to prepare students for public speaking, critical thinking and to improve their listening skills.
“These events really have grown into a magical real life field trip, kids get an experience outside of their regular routine, it challenges all of their senses: listening, thinking, speaking,” said La’ford.
When asked how to become an elected official, Rice advised the students to get involved at school, student government and in the community.
“We can get so much more done by getting involved with other people,” said Rice.
As the event concluded guest speakers shared words of inspiration with the students.
“It doesn’t matter where you start,” Gadsden said. “You all have an opportunity to make an impact in the lives of other people.”
La’ford’s next event is with the SunLit Festival, where children are invited to participate in a community literacy mural titled “Lift Every WORD and READ” at the James Weldon Johnson Community Center Mar. 5.
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ST. PETERSBURG –“After about two weeks you find strength through your diversity,” as former Navy Petty Officer Donald Holly anecdotally recalled his time spent drifting through the depths of the ocean in a submarine. “You learn to identify the things that don’t really matter… then you learn to appreciate those things.”
A panel of three former military leaders convened Thursday night for the “Shades of Green,” discussion on diversity in the United States Military at Stetson University College of Law.
Holly’s sentiment characterized the tone of the 90-minute discussion, with little to no disagreement from the other two panelists, retired Army Col. DJ Reyes, and retired Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Terry Nealy.
Although they were products of vastly different backgrounds the innate camaraderie and mutual respect was apparent. As with most military driven events, the panel of strangers conversed as if they had known each other for ages.
Socioeconomic status, gender, race, and sexuality were just a few defining factors of diversity discussed Thursday evening.
Due to the expansive nature of the military, a single-culture environment is not a prospect for members of the military admitted Holly.
When asked by moderator Kristen Colelli, Stetson Law Juris Doctorate Candidate, “What is the most challenging aspect of accepting people from all over the place?”
Reyes responded, “The biggest challenge is one of ignorance.”
Not ignorance in a negative way, but ignorance in the sense of unfamiliarity, he clarified. According to Reyes, the members of the military are trained to fit one common model. It is difficult to keep one’s individuality in the process.
Communication and mutual respect were revered throughout the discussion; Reyes explained that acceptance and inclusion occurs after lines of communication have been opened, “when respect goes both ways, progress can be made.”
“After work we don’t have to invite each other home for dinner, but we do have to work together,” commented Nealy. According to Nealy, people are wired differently and are products of their environment; the key is to respect those differences.
Holly concluded the discussion by advocating the practice of labeling; he explained that the process of labeling empowers people to represent who and what they are. “To level the playing ground by diminishing labels we marginalize people,” labels allow us to own who we are.
The panel was co-hosted by The Pillars at Stetson College and the Student Veterans Organization Stetson College chapter to highlight the importance of diversity and promote the understanding of diversity of all types during the American Bar Association’s Diversity Week.
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.
