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For More Media Information: For Immediate Release:

Alice Bonn/Shelley Dean Jan. 31, 2007

The Zimmerman Agency • (850) 668-2222

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Tallahassee Commemorates Black History Month with Civil Rights Monuments, Churches and Causes for Celebration

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Weaving the fabric of African-American history into an intricate tapestry, Tallahassee celebrates Black History Month 2007 and the area’s Black heritage by featuring a variety of multicultural events and activities showcasing the diverse spectrum of the community. Claiming a plethora of local Black heritage sites, Tallahassee is enriched with significant contributions of early African-Americans including historic homes and churches, civil rights monuments and more.

Featured Events:

Feb. 1
Black History Month Festival™/Kickoff Reception
Opening event for Black History Month Festival, celebrating the contributions and achievements of African-Americans to this country. Kickoff begins at 10 a.m. at Tallahassee’s Main Post Office.

Feb. 2
Carribbean Nights
Caribbean Nights is a delightful break from mid-winter chills. Island entertainment and cuisine, dancing, costumes and music transport visitors to the tropics. All ages are welcome to this event being held at the Tallahassee Senior Center from 7-10 p.m.

Feb. 9
Black History Month Reception and Auction
A gala event featuring an African-American play, African-inspired foods and auction of celebrity merchandise.

Feb. 9-11
Thomasville Black Heritage Festival
Guests celebrate the first Thomasville Black Heritage Festival. In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of African-American pioneers, this three-day event features local and nationally known artists and scholars in religion, music, visual arts, film, fashion, sports, food and crafts.

Feb. 10
"Classical Romance"
Concert presented by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra at FSU Ruby Diamond Auditorium at 8 p.m., featuring Stewart Goodyear.

Feb. 10 - June 3
Contemporay African-American Artists
Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science showcases contemporary African-American artists.

Feb. 17 African-American Heritage Celebration
Parade and festival featuring floats, bands, stage entertainment, food and vendors in Wakulla County.

Feb. 24 - May 20
Florida Highwaymen: Legendary Landscapes
Tallahassee Museum hosts a retrospective exhibition displaying more than 60 paintings from the original nine Florida Highwaymen.

Feb. 26
Afroprovocations
Exhibition including the work of John Sims, Pat Ward Williams, Steven Bernard Jones, Sangoyemi Ogunsanya, O.L. Samuels and Mary Proctor. Displayed at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science.

Feb. 26
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Since Paul Simon’s Graceland album catapulted Ladysmith Black Mambazo to worldwide fame 20 years ago, the Grammy Award-winning vocal group has remained true to the idea of opening doors of South African culture through their music, dancing and singing. Music enthusiasts can see Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Kleman Plaza beginong at 8 p.m.

Feb. 28
Harlem Globetrotters 2007 Tour
World famous Harlem Globetrotters showcase basketball skills in a show at the Leon County Civic Center beginning at 7 p.m.

Tallahassee Black Heritage Sites:

Union Bank Building Chartered in 1833, the Union Bank is the oldest bank in the state of Florida. The bank played a major financial role as a planters’ bank in the territorial period and the National Freedman’s Bank for newly emancipated slaves during Reconstruction in 1866. The building is now utilized by  Florida A&M University Black Archives, Research Center and Museum.

Knott House In 1865, Union General Edward McCook read President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation from the front steps of this house that freed the slaves of North Florida. Tours of the house, built in 1843, are given every hour Wednesday-Friday from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

St. James C.M.E. Church Constructed in 1899 on land purchased by black members of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church.  The structure is the oldest African American church in Tallahassee.

First Presbyterian Church Classic Revival style church built in 1838, featuring Gothic doors and a north gallery. Designed for slaves who sat segregated from other members prior to the Civil War.

John G. Riley House Second home to be owned by an African American in Florida. Riley, who built his home in 1890, served as principal of the first African-American high school in Leon County. Tours are given to visitors Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Florida A & M University) Oldest African-American college in Florida established in 1887. Today FAMU, the international and multi-racial university, encompasses 12 schools and colleges.

Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center & Museum Built in 1907, the Carnegie Library Building is the oldest building on the FAMU campus. Today, the library houses a vast collection of slave irons, tribal masks and ancient art demonstrating the cultural maturity of African kingdoms.

C.K. Steele Memorial The C.K. Steele Memorial commemorates the work of the Rev. Charles Kenzie Steele, one of Florida’s outstanding civil rights leaders. Steele, who was a friend and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., organized the Tallahassee bus boycott by setting up a car pool for black patrons. As a result of Steele’s activism, segregated seating ended in May 1956.

Tallahassee Museum: Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Built in 1937 by a rural black congregation, traces its founding to a slave preacher, Reverend James Page, who was ordained in the 1850s. Distinction as one of Florida’s most significant black churches led to an exhibit funded by the national Endowment for the Humanities and FAMU. The Museum sought and obtained recognition for Reverend Page as one of Florida’s Great Floridians.

Tallahassee Museum: Concord Schoolhouse The 1890s one-room schoolhouse, established to educate children of former slaves, is a powerful reminder of the struggles and strides made in black education in Florida.

Tallahassee Museum: B.O. Wood Turpentine Commissary The B.O. Wood turpentine commissary was once a "Company Store" where black turpentine workers purchased provisions after a long workday spent in the pine forest.

To commemorate Black History Month in Tallahassee, contact the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 628-2866 or visit www.VisitTallahassee.com.

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