Book Description

From the use of Florida as a center for the smuggling of slaves and the massacre in the town of Rosewood to the founding of the country's first free community if ex-slaves and the Civil Rights demonstrations in Tampa and Tallahassee, the history of African Americans in Florida has mirrored their history across the U.S.-painful and triumphant. This city-by-city guide introduces the reader to churches, schools, homes and other significant sites in more than 70 different towns across Florida, providing information on their historical importance, present condition, and availability for visiting. Included are the memorial to a slave shipwrecked in 1701 off the coast of Key West and locations associated with famous personalities like Ray Charles (st. Augustine and Greenville), the author Zora Neale Hurston (Eatonville and Fort Pierce), Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., the nations first black four-star general (Pensacola), and the Civil Rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune (Daytona Beach). Highlighting over 450 years of contributions by African Americans to the rich culture of Florida, this volume is an excellent resource for visitors to Florida, as well as its residents.