African American History

On “The Florida Roundup,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eugene Robinson discussed his book "Freedom Won, Freedom Lost" and the ongoing struggle for civil rights in America.

This week on "The Florida Roundup," we dive into some notable moments in Florida's Black history on Juneteenth.

Friday marks the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were free. Hear from people from across Tampa Bay’s Black community about what freedom means to them.

On "Florida Matters Live & Local," Tampa Bay History Center curator Fred Hearns talked about Juneteenth and the importance of this historical event to the state of Florida.

Communities across the country are preparing to honor Juneteenth — a holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States.

The Black Cemetery Network, formed in the Tampa Bay area, hosted its first national conference in St. Petersburg. Founder Antoinette Jackson says Florida is "leading the national conversation" on the work to identify, preserve, and record African American burial grounds and their equally buried histories.

Bending the Arc, a program created by the Boxser Diversity Initiative in Sarasota, offers high school students in Sarasota and Manatee counties an immersive education in civil rights history.

Zion Cemetery is Tampa's first graveyard for African-Americans. It was founded in 1901 but was paved over and built on during the 1920s. Hundreds remain buried there.

Nine artists have filed claims against the city of Sarasota, alleging their rights were violated when officials removed pavement art in response to a state directive from the Florida Department of Transportation.

On "The Florida Roundup," we talked about a Flagler College film exploring the story of Francisco Menéndez. He was the leader of the first free Black settlement, Fort Mose.

On "Florida Matters Live & Local," we get a peek into how the museum is coming together from its program manager and curator. The museum is anticipated to open next year, but there isn't a set date yet.

Those four young Black men -- Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, Ernest Thomas and Charles Greenlee, who was only 16 -- were wrongly prosecuted or killed for the alleged rape of a white woman in Lake County in 1949.