Jacksonville, Florida
We’ve all heard the story of the “40 acres and a mule” promise to former slaves. It’s a staple of black history lessons, and it’s the name of Spike Lee’s film company. The promise was the first systematic attempt to provide a form of reparations Read More …
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) defeated World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Sonny Liston in Miami Beach on this date in 1964. The fight was one of the most anticipated, watched, and controversial matches of all time. This first of two meetings between the two heavyweights was held Read More …
Sallye B. Mathis was one of the first Black women to be elected and serve on our City Council in 1967. Locally, Ms. Mathis is honored by the local NAACP Jacksonville Branch by naming their annual community service award in her honor, as well as Read More …
This song is by Nellie Florence, features Barbecue Bob on guitar and appears on the compilation The Country Girls! 1927-1935 (1964) and on the compilation album Barbecue Bob, Vol. 2 (1928-1929) (1991) by Barbecue Bob. Nellie Florence is an obscure blues vocalist who recorded two songs for Columbia Read More …
Jacksonville’s Abraham Lincoln Lewis was Florida’s first black millionaire after his founding of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company here. The company was founded to provide affordable life and burial insurance to the black community. As well as being a leading contributor to black colleges like Read More …
Learn about the exciting life of Captain James W. Floyd (1861-1940) with speaker Jerry Urso, the Grand Historian of the Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge of Florida. Captain Floyd was a celebrated hero of the Spanish American War, a business owner, and a civil rights activist from Jacksonville, Florida. Program Read More …
Mary Singleton one of the first black women elected to our City Council in 1967, she is also the first black woman from Jacksonville to be elected and serve in the Florida House of Representatives. Ms. Singleton is honored in so many ways here locally, Read More …
Jacksonville’s Bob Hayes is not only the first to win both a Super Bowl and an Olympic Gold Medal, he is the only person to accomplish both. The “Bullet” won gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics in both the 100m and 4x100m relay, setting Read More …
James Beard Award-winning author Adrian Miller shares his family recipe for the New Year’s Day staple. On New Year’s Day, millions of people will dutifully eat some amount of black-eyed peas with the hope that it will lead to prosperity throughout next year. This superstition Read More …
Mayor Donna Deegan announced that the Confederate statues are being removed from Springfield Park today. This memorial was erected during the peak of early 20th century Confederate monument-building, part of a widespread campaign to promote and justify Jim Crow laws in the South and intimidate Read More …
October 1, 1968: The Jacksonville city and Duval County governments merged to form the City of Jacksonville. This is a historic photo of Jacksonville’s first City Council following consolidation. Many of the members are known for their acts of leadership, advocacy, innovation and service
After World War II, the government of the City of Jacksonville began to increase spending to fund new building projects in the boom that occurred after the war. Mayor W. Haydon Burns oversaw the construction of a new city hall, civic auditorium, public library and Read More …
Earlier this evening the LaVilla Heritage Trail and Gateway Committee presented its LaVilla Heritage Trail project to the Downtown Investment Authority. The proposed LaVilla Heritage Trail across the historically Black Jacksonville neighborhood includes 55 notable historic sites, including the Ritz Theatre and Genovar’s Hall, a Read More …
Is it on your calendar? Join the City of Jacksonville on Saturday, May 20th as James Weldon Johnson Park and Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman host the annual Emancipation Day Celebration. From 4-9pm, enjoy live music, speeches, food, drinks, vendors, and much more. Be sure to visit Read More …
If you have ever visited St. Augustine, you might have noticed a large concentration of Victorian era homes just southwest of recognizable landmarks like the Bridge of Lions and the Cathedral Basilica. This is Lincolnville, a historically black neighborhood in America’s oldest city. Formed by Read More …
The Museum of Science & History, in partnership with the Jax Melanin Market present to you POWER, a dynamic fusion of arts, culture, and history, coinciding with the celebration of Black History Month. This program is part of MOSH’s ongoing effort to connect and engage with Jacksonville’s Read More …
The Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, about 50 miles west of Jax, hosts its annual reenactment of Florida’s largest Civil War battle, along with a full weekend’s worth of activities like period-authentic campsites and church services. The main event, the 159th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Olustee, is Read More …
Black History Month celebrations continue on Jacksonville’s Eastside Saturday, with a parade down A Philip Randolph Boulevard at noon, the Melanin Market with over 100 vendors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the HBCU Heritage Classic baseball game at 121 Financial Ballpark at 2 p.m., followed by a showing of Read More …