Local events mark Black History Month
The separation between American history and black American history has always been very thin.
Indeed, the line might not exist at all. The plight of black Americans is intricately linked to the complex and, at times, horrific struggle of our still young nation.
More than ever, now might be the time to re-examine the importance of Black History Month as a celebration of the black and American experience.
There are a host of activities pertaining to Black History Month in Lee County, spread throughout the month of February.
The Lee County Black History Society kicks off its events on Feb. 9, hoping to celebrate and bring awareness to the cultural contributions of black people to the county’s rich history.
Its 7th Annual Fundraiser will be held at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers, acting as one the organization’s major fund-raisers for the year.
“They are crucial fund-raisers,” said Yvonne Hill, Black History Society spokeswoman. “Especially with any non-profit … we need funds to offer programs and classes throughout the year.”
A major feature of the fund-raiser will be an original play created by Tom Prather, founder and owner of the Broadway Palm.
Titled “Voices from Sanibel: A Black Experience,” Hill said the play “captures the contributions culturally and ethnically to the rich heritage of the islands.”
Prather said he has been working intensely on the script for the better part of a month. The play is a “work in process” that will probably evolve after its premier during the fund-raiser.
He thinks that more stories will come out once the show is presented, and that a Fort Myers play exploring the same themes would be interesting.
“It’s important we explore not only Sanibel, but something similar to this in Fort Myers. The divergence of the two stories would be enlightening,” Prather said. “It’s history. People need to know how all this came about. It just didn’t happen.”
Another Black History Society fund-raiser, called “Jazz in Fort Myers: A Salute to McCollum Hall,” celebrates the storied Fort Myers music venue with a two-week pictorial exhibit focusing on 100 years of jazz.
McCollum Hall, which has unfortunately fallen into disrepair over the years, was the sight of performances by a virtual who’s who of jazz greats: Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and even B.B. King have graced the stage of McCollum Theatre at some point.
Built in 1938, Hill said the hall was a place where blacks and whites came together to hear the musical stars of the day perform.
The theater was segregated, but the racial line vanished once the music started, even though it did not last once the music ceased.
“It was the black entertainment center in Fort Myers. All the jazz greats came through in the 40s, the 50s and the 60s,” Hill said. “It was really quite a top spot. Even though it was segregated, whites and black would attend these sessions. There was a rope down the middle of the theatre, but that rope disappeared when the music started. But, of course, when you left the building you went your separate ways.”
Hill also is involved with the Cultural Heritage Center of the Islands, a Sanibel based organization that is dedicated to the role of blacks in the history of Sanibel and Captiva.
The Heritage Center practices what Hill describes at “visual anthropology,” in which the center enlarges historic photos of the earliest days of the islands and puts them on display.
Originally from Princeton, N.J., Hill has been a Sanibel resident for eight years. She recently authored an “Images of America” book, which visually chronicles the island’s past.
“I ended up here without knowing anything about Sanibel. I hadn’t heard of it until two months before I got here,” she said. “I think the universe sent me here.”
Appreciation and exploration of black history, or American history, does not have to be kept within the confines of the month of February.
Lessons of the contributions of black residents of Lee County are available all year long, from the Black History Society’s Williams Academy Museum in Fort Myers to the visual story of the Cultural Heritage Center of the Islands on Sanibel.
For Hill, the message is clear – to understand and know black history is to know and understand America.
“It’s important to know black history. It helps to understand other cultures and their contributions, which is so important,” Hill said. “There were significant contributions made to the nation.”
The 7th Annual Black History Month dinner, including gospel music, buffet and Tom Prather’s original play, will be held at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre on Feb. 9. Cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m., and dinner seating begins at 6 p.m.
“Jazz in Fort Myers: A Salute to McCollum Hall” is a two-week, gala fund-raising event.
An opening ceremony will be held Feb. 13 at the Sidney Berne Davis Art Center, featuring jazz musicians Bobby Watson on saxophone and Curtis Lundy on bass.
The closing reception will be held Feb. 27 also at the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center. It features local jazz musicians.
Ticket prices for the events vary.
Contact the Lee County Black History Society at 210-7992 for a full list of prices, and for further information. Or visit: www.leecountyblackhistory.com.