We sure hope so!
Serendipity. You know that special time when unexpected things just fall into place. That is the story of how St Johns County came to learn about and propose St Johns County as the home of the State of Florida Black History Museum.
Sarah Arnold was appointed to the vacant Commissioner seat for District 2 in December 2021. Not one to sit in an office, she began meeting her new constituents in their communities. Greg White and Dwala Willis, leaders in the West Augustine community, took the new Commissioner on a tour of West Augustine. During the tour, they told her the story of Florida Memorial University, once located in St. Augustine at King Street and Holmes Boulevard.
In the very unsettled 1960s, racial tensions escalated, causing the school to relocate to Miami Gardens in south Florida where it remains. But the story of the HBCU located in St. Augustine stayed with Commissioner Arnold.
Shortly after her tour of West Augustine, then Deputy County Administrator Joy Andrews was speaking with Gayle Phillips, the Executive Director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, and learned that the state of Florida was looking to create a Black History Museum to be located somewhere in Florida. Lincolnville, which might have been the perfect spot, just didn’t have the land available for such a large project.
Serendipity, right?
A Black History Museum in need of a place to put down roots. A piece of land that once housed a place of higher education for blacks. How much more perfect can this be? Those same folks in West Augustine who showed the new Commissioner around their community jumped on board and the quest to locate the Florida Black History Museum in St Johns County was born.
Commissioner Arnold and Administrator Andrews – two women with virtually no ties to the black community – began their campaign, starting with a meeting with the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida, where they proclaimed, “We are going to win the bid to locate this in St Johns County.”
On to Tallahassee
In April 2024 St Johns County learned that they were scored as the top contender by the nine-member task force convened by the Governor to determine the location of the Black History Museum and were invited to Tallahassee to respond to questions from the task force.
Not leaving anything to chance, they decided to let the Task Force know just how much the community wanted the Black History Museum here in St Johns County. At 4AM on the morning of April 19, 2024. 57 County residents boarded a bus to travel to Tallahassee to tell their story. Dressed in T-shirts that said, “Embrace the heritage, honor the legacy, our town, our story, our museum, St Augustine, Florida” and carrying signs from churches and community organizations supporting the Museum in St Johns County, these folks were ready to prove just how much they wanted the Museum in their community.
A Rich and Storied History
Now, you may think St Johns County is all about European history dating back to 1565. But fast forward to 1738 and remember that freedom seekers came to St Augustine from slavery in South Carolina – the first southbound Underground Railroad. They were granted freedom by the Spanish government if they converted to the Catholic faith and joined the Spanish militia. They set down roots on the marshes of St. Johns County, now known as Fort Mose.
Fast forward again to St Johns County in the 1960s where it played a huge role in the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr was arrested on the steps of the Monson Motor Lodge when he asked to be served at the whites-only hotel restaurant. He was taken to the Old St. Johns County Jail where he wrote to Rabbi Israel Dresner of New Jersey, encouraging rabbis to assist in the St. Augustine movement.
The rabbis, 16 in all, responded to the plea for help and were also arrested. Shortly thereafter, the owner of the Monson Motor Lodge took matters into his own hands by throwing muriatic acid into a pool where black visitors were swimming. This action was so profoundly egregious when reported nationally that Americans throughout the country took notice.
If you think that St Johns County isn’t the right place for a Black History Museum, I invite you to watch Craig Patrick’s documentary, “Florida’s Foot Soldiers, a Civil Right Story” which makes you realize that, in the state of Florida, St Johns County IS black history.
A Boon to West Augustine
Greg White, a community leader in West Augustine, has lived here his whole life, returning home after two years in the Army Artillery. He attended the local segregated high school at what is now Murray Middle School and remembers walking through the neighborhood echoing the sentiments of Dr. King, singing “We Shall Overcome.”
When racial tension caused the University to relocate to Miami, Greg and his friends watched the slow and painful exodus of black businesses who could no longer survive, as the community of West Augustine was left without an economic future.
He has been an advocate for the revitalization of West Augustine through partnership with the St Johns County Community Redevelopment Agency and sees the placement of the Black History Museum as a catapult to economic health.
On to Tallahassee, Again
Back to present day, the Tallahassee trip was certainly an adventure, as the bus carrying the 57 community members caught fire shortly after leaving Jacksonville on Interstate 10. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and their resolve to tell their story in Tallahassee was stronger than ever.
After a full court press from the Commissioners, the County Administrator, the Sheriff, and local business owners, new transportation picked up the stranded passengers and took them on to Tallahassee – with a police escort.
When they finally arrived, exuberant and energized, and only a little smoky, they filled the state auditorium with passion and hope.
What Now
St Johns County left Tallahassee that day in first place, with two competitors – Eatonville in Orange County and Opa-Locka in south Florida. These three contenders will host an architectural review of the proposed sight, and the Task Force will then make a recommendation to the Governor toward the end of May 2024.
Still not leaving anything to chance, Commissioner Arnold, Administrator Andrews, Greg White, and Dwala Willis are lobbying every educational, cultural, historical, and other group asking for their support for St Johns County as the site of the Black History Museum. They have traveled to groups north, south, and west of the County and have received overwhelming support.
Now we wait – hopefully only a few more weeks as the Task Force Plans to make their selection at the end of May.
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