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Black History Month is an effort to reclaim and restore an important part of the cultural fabric which makes up this country’s history. Contributions of African Americans in various fields are traditionally highlighted, but this annual celebration is also a time of reflection. In Greater Fort Lauderdale that reflection can take on angles and twists as distinctive as the city’s downtown skyline or Las Olas Isles.
For instance, a current exhibit at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Community: African Americans in Fort Lauderdale, highlights working-class history from the earliest migration of Bahamians and blacks from Georgia and South Carolina to find work as the area was settled in the late 1800s. Many of the black and white photographs are being exhibited for the first time at the historic New River Inn, and they will be on view for visitors until April 1.
Farmers, harvesters, packers, shippers, and stevedores all helped to lay the foundation for the internationally known cosmopolitan area that Fort Lauderdale has become. Roots are important - but so is growth.
Several miles from downtown, new projects are underway in the western city of Lauderhill and they promise to add a new page to the multicultural story. The West Indian cultures of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago already add spice to the diversity of the area. Soon we’ll have a Caribbean-themed shopping mall, and the Bobby Jones Gospel Complex for Education and Preservation, and both are certain to lure even more international visitors to the area.
In Greater Fort Lauderdale, history and progress capitalize on the county’s nationally-touted reputation as one of the most culturally diverse in the U.S. The area has the demographics of what the U.S. will look like within the next 20 years in terms of the mix of African Americans, whites, and Hispanics, and the Asian population is also growing. Seminole Indians maintain a prosperous reservation right in the heart of the county where visitors can patronize businesses and explore Native American culture without having to travel far.
We have much diversity to reflect upon - and celebrate - during Black History Month and the rest of the year as well.
- Kitty Oliver, Author/Oral Historian
For instance, a current exhibit at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Community: African Americans in Fort Lauderdale, highlights working-class history from the earliest migration of Bahamians and blacks from Georgia and South Carolina to find work as the area was settled in the late 1800s. Many of the black and white photographs are being exhibited for the first time at the historic New River Inn, and they will be on view for visitors until April 1.
Farmers, harvesters, packers, shippers, and stevedores all helped to lay the foundation for the internationally known cosmopolitan area that Fort Lauderdale has become. Roots are important - but so is growth.
Several miles from downtown, new projects are underway in the western city of Lauderhill and they promise to add a new page to the multicultural story. The West Indian cultures of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago already add spice to the diversity of the area. Soon we’ll have a Caribbean-themed shopping mall, and the Bobby Jones Gospel Complex for Education and Preservation, and both are certain to lure even more international visitors to the area.
In Greater Fort Lauderdale, history and progress capitalize on the county’s nationally-touted reputation as one of the most culturally diverse in the U.S. The area has the demographics of what the U.S. will look like within the next 20 years in terms of the mix of African Americans, whites, and Hispanics, and the Asian population is also growing. Seminole Indians maintain a prosperous reservation right in the heart of the county where visitors can patronize businesses and explore Native American culture without having to travel far.
We have much diversity to reflect upon - and celebrate - during Black History Month and the rest of the year as well.
- Kitty Oliver, Author/Oral Historian
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 11:03 AM
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