Black History Month 2024 at New College
Film poster of The Black Power Mixtape (2011). Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Black History Month 2024 at New College

Annual celebrations of Black History Month (BHM) at New College bring a variety of events   as a way for students, staff and faculty to honor the heritage and ongoing influence of Black history and culture in the United States. This February the New College…

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Teach the Truth Tour takes students through Florida’s Black history
New College and UF students and faculty at the site on the Suwannee River where a 15-year-old Black child was lynched in 1944. Marvin Dunn, center. Photo courtesy of Marvin Dunn.

Teach the Truth Tour takes students through Florida’s Black history

On Nov. 11 students, staff and faculty from New College, University of Florida (UF) and community members from across the state joined Dr. Marvin Dunn, professor emeritus from the Department of Psychology at Florida International University (FIU) for an overnight Teach the Truth Tour. The…

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“Teaching Black History in Florida”: Personal stories and truths from history professor Marvin Dunn
Dunn passionately addressing the crowd at the North Sarasota Library. Photo credit: Erik Wallenberg.

“Teaching Black History in Florida”: Personal stories and truths from history professor Marvin Dunn

“Black history is American history,” Dr. Marvin Dunn, professor emeritus from the Department of Psychology at Florida International University (FIU) stated firmly during his lesson to the larger Sarasota community on Apr. 20 in the Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Public Library. “Teaching Black History…

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Teaching the truth: history professor Marvin Dunn to visit New College to teach Black history
A flier advertising Marvin Dunn's guest lecture. (Courtesy of Erik Wallenberg.)

Teaching the truth: history professor Marvin Dunn to visit New College to teach Black history

“I knew Jim Crow,” writes Dr. Marvin Dunn in his book A History of Florida Through Black Eyes (2016). “I grew up in Florida under his dark, suffocating wings. I knew him intimately, as did every Black person I knew growing up in Deland and…

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Newtown Alive trolley tours give visitors a glimpse into the histories of Newtown and Overtown
The “Siesta Trolley” one of Newtown Alive’s trolleys.

Newtown Alive trolley tours give visitors a glimpse into the histories of Newtown and Overtown

In 2016, a plan was proposed to Sarasota County by the North County Community Organization to document Newtown’s history, eventually forming Newtown Alive, an organization dedicated to recording and preserving the history of one of the oldest communities in Sarasota. Their work has overseen recordings…

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The Gilbert Mural Initiative tells the story of Sarasota’s first black community
A mural of Lewis and Irene Colson, founding residents of Overtown who built the Bethlehem Baptist Church. The mural is painted on what used to be that very church.

The Gilbert Mural Initiative tells the story of Sarasota’s first black community

An eye-catching array of stylized murals have begun steadily coating the historic walls and buildings of the Rosemary District near downtown Sarasota. The artworks themselves seek to memorialize and honor the history of black settlers within the area, a history that was paved over and…

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Newtown Trolley Tours teach black history in SRQ

Three trolley-tour goers listening to one of the guides. All photos Michala Head/Catalyst. On a rainy Sarasota day a group comprised of tourists and curious residents hopped on a trolley to embark on an educational journey through Newtown. Visiting 15 historical markers throughout the community,…

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