This book chronicles the history of Sarasota, Florida's African American community - Newtown - that celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2014. It answers questions about many aspects of community life: why the earliest African Americans who came to Sarasota, then a tiny fishing village, first settled in areas near downtown called "Black Bottom" and "over town;" their transition from there to Newtown; how they developed Newtown from swampland into a self-contained community to ensure their own survival during the Jim Crow era; the ways they earned a living, what self-help organizations they formed; their religious and educational traditions; residents' military service, the strong emphasis placed on education; how they succeeded in gaining political representation after filing a federal lawsuit; and much more. Newtown residents fought for civil rights, endured and triumphed over Jim Crow segregation, suffered KKK intimidation and violence, and currently are resisting the stealthy gentrification of their community. Whether you are new to the area, a frequent visitor, an educator, historian or a longtime resident trying to connect the dots in your family tree, you will find these stories of courage, dignity and determination enlightening and empowering!
About the Author: Rosalyn Howard, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist, ethnohistorian and retired associate professor from the University of Central Florida (Orlando), Department of Anthropology. Dr. Howard taught courses in cultural, general and linguistic anthropology and conducted in-residence ethnographic (community) research studies in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. She has conducted additional research and teaching projects in Florida, in the Caribbean region, and in Africa. Dr. Howard has written several books and numerous articles focused on her research about African and Native American peoples in the African Diaspora, particularly the Black Seminoles of Florida and The Bahamas. She has collaborated on several films about her research. Dr. Howard has been a member of the "Looking for Angola" research team since its formation in 2004. Vickie Oldham, M.F.A., is a consultant and community scholar, is well known as a former broadcast journalist and 'daughter' of Newtown. She has worked in higher education marketing and communications for nine years. Her responsibilities included branding and marketing three Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Oldham completed a documentary short about Newtown's history in 1992, "Triumphant Struggle," and was one of the producers of the documentary "Reflections: A History of Sarasota County" in 2003. She founded the interdisciplinary "Looking for Angola" (LFA) project in 2004 to identify archaeological and historical evidence of the early 1800s Black Seminole settlement, Angola, located in the Tampa Bay area. Traces of cultural artifacts have been unearthed. Before the LFA project began, this history was not well known. Through multi-platform marketing and communications, the story is now available to worldwide audiences.