ARTS & CULTURE
Heritage Trail Walking Tour
from 10 am to noon leaving from the Woodson in partnership
with the African American Heritage Association. The walk will be
along the Deuces (22nd St. S.), the once-vibrant main street of
St. Pete’s African American community during the segregation
era. The tour will be led by Gwendolyn Reese, a member of
neighborhood. Cost $10; tour reservations are recommended
by going to preservetheburg.org or calling 727) 824-7802.
51 November/December 2018 StPeteLifeMag.com
The Namesake
Carter Godwin Woodson, a scholar, journalist, and historian, is
and is credited with originating African-American History
February as national African-American History Month. Woodson
also founded “The Journal of Negro History,” as well as what
became the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and
History. Currently based in Washington DC, the ASALH’s mission
is “to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate
information about Black life, history, and culture to the global
for the museum that bears his name, for that is exactly what they
do every single day. Dr. Woodson would surely be proud of this
living tribute to his consequential life.
St. Pete’s Forgotten History
Surrounding the Woodson’s current location are the echoes and
African-American cultural epicenter. The Manhattan Casino
was once and for many decades, a mecca for jazz and musical
greats like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Ella
Fitzgerald, and too many other icons to name here. With declining
attendance, the music at the Manhattan was silenced forever only
only two theaters African-Americans were permitted to attend.
luminous marquee, was the jewel of the neighborhood. Though it
still stands, it is no longer the “Apollo” theater of the South that it
once was. Jim Crow laws and the segregation of the times forced
St. Petersburg’s African-American community to build their own
(Mercy) hospital, pharmacy, schools, business associations, and
infrastructure. However, they did it with pride and tenacity, and
many memorable personalities emerged to forge the legacy that
the Woodson protects today.
For the most part, only residents of a certain age remember these
characters – these heroes of a rich history and proud culture.
Residents like 104-year-old Bonnie Johnson whose birthday was
celebrated at the Woodson, is a perfect example. In addition to the
elegant party, Miss Bonnie was treated to red carpet treatment
including limo, make-over, and spa treatments. If you ask residents
outside of the corridor, or in North County, many are surprisingly
unaware of all the people and places that made this neighborhood
so remarkable. The Woodson as legacy keeper is making strides,
through superior programming, in helping us all look back with
more informed eyes and truly appreciate all that came before.
Looking Forward
Understanding the past cannot be overstated but creating a
rich and meaningful future legacy is equally important to Terri
Lipsey Scott and she makes it a priority for the mission of the
Carter G. Woodson African-American History Museum. “We are
creating new traditions that educate and celebrate children, and
programming that enhances dialogue and understanding,” she
said.
Scott is so dedicated to her
community, that her recent
(and ongoing) advocacy of
the threatened adjacent
Jordan Park neighborhood,
inspired an appointment
to the housing commission
by the mayor. Scott and
the Woodson facilitate
partnerships with many not
events and exhibits.
Substantive new art by
African-American artists,
featuring African-American
culture, is curated and
hung every other month. It acts as both focal point and backdrop
to all the other activities that are conducted. Book clubs for young
and old foster literacy and encourage dialogue.
Annual events like the recently held DiversiTea, celebrate our
scones. The First Ladies of African American History annual event
celebrates excellence and the achievements of women in our
community. The annual Silver Spoon Tea Party celebrates girls by
treating them to beauty treatments, limo rides, and a special party
sampling of the multitude and variety of events that are not only
entertaining, but highly impactful in the lives of all who attend.
PHOTO/ROSSI NEWSON
/preservetheburg.org
/StPeteLifeMag.com