Thanks to the efforts of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition preservation project, Sarasota has become the second city ever to win the Stewards of Heritage Award as it is recognized as the largest historic African American district in the State.
This July Sarasota received the Stewards of Heritage award from the Florida Archaeological Council. Based on the number of contributing resources, The Newtown district is now the largest Black historic district in Florida and joins St. Augustine as the only other city in the state to receive this award in its 50 years of existence.
Since 2015 Vickie Oldham, the president and CEO of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, has been documenting the history of Newtown. At the start little information was readily available about the city’s historical Black community, meanwhile it it has seen a massive outgrowth. For instance, it has captured the attention of Steven High, executive director of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
As a result of this interest, the SAAC is now in partnership with the museum. Therefore the SAAC plans to create a new space for making and exhibiting art, at a warehouse site the museum owns next to Truvine Church, which is located at 1947 31st St.
According to Vickie, “A project which started with a seed of an idea, has made possible a new Sarasota cultural institution”
Read full article by Ian Swaby on Observer
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