Two hundred years ago, in the summer of 1817, a group of pirates and privateers invaded Amelia Island, Florida, then still a Spanish colony, in hopes of striking a blow for the Spanish American Revolutions. The presentation will tell the stories of these revolutionary rogues and their leaders, how they planned to free Florida from Spanish rule, and how the United States intervened to stop them. This event is funded

Rosewood was a prosperous African American community hard-won from the swampy hammocks of north Florida. Although the town was destroyed in 1923, the community continued, scattered across the state of Florida and beyond. Now, nearly 100 years after this tragic event the story of Rosewood remains shrouded from public view. Those who have heard of Rosewood are rarely aware of the community’s deeper history, or its relation to other places

The state of Florida has recently mandated a law requiring that public schools and state institutions teach the history of the Ocoee Massacre. What happened in Ocoee, Florida in 1920? How do the tragic events that transpired in Orange County intersect with the broader histories of the African American freedom struggle as well as today’s efforts at historical truth and reconciliation in the age of Black Lives Matter? Paul Ortiz

The Jim Crow era did more to create anti-black beliefs and feelings than slavery. Stereotypes created during the Jim Crow era are deeply embedded in the collective American consciousness and unfortunately have been internalized by many. This racial cultural conditioning of the American mind is the most destructive legacy of the Jim Crow era. Dr. Martha Bireda will examine Jim Crow laws and customs, especially those established in Florida; the

Art historian, Mallory O’Connor, presents a “Look” at Florida through the many eccentric images that tell the story of our state. Strangers in a Strange Land explores Florida’s art history and rich visual mythology. These images span centuries of time and attest to both the vivid imagination of the artists and the equally flamboyant narratives centered on our state. Mallory O’Connor is a Professor Emerita of Art History at Santa

Daytona Beach ‘s Museum of Arts and Sciences’ Curator of History, Zach Zaharias, presents a rare look at a part of Florida history that most people have never heard of, urban fires. The Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901 was the nation’s third-largest urban fire in history. Ocala, Deland, St. Augustine, Key West, and other well-known cities all were devastated by urban fires in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Downtowns

How Florida overcame the challenge of mosquitos, perhaps the most vexing struggle humans encountered in the past two centuries. As vectors of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and dengue, mosquitoes and our species’ effort to institute mosquito control played a crucial role in Florida history. Dr. Gordon Patterson explores how Florida overcame the challenge of mosquitos, perhaps the most vexing struggle humans encountered in the past two centuries. As

An examination of the perceptions of women in popular culture through comic books and how this culture has changed over time. Professor emeritus and avid comic collector, Magdalena Lamarre, will give an examination of the perceptions of women in popular culture through comic books and how this culture has changed over time. This event is funded by the Florida Humanities Florida Talks: At Home! program.

A clandestine cell of Eastern European Jewish immigrants in Key West in the 1890s delivered weapons to the Cuban revolutionary rebels who chased the Spanish Empire out of the Americas. Jews in Key West and Tampa were drawn to the revolutionary movement led by José Martí and paralleled the Zionist cause that led to the creation of Israel. Author Arlo Haskell will discuss this exciting and little-known piece of Florida-Cuban

Enslaved Africans brought their foodways and special skills such as rice cultivation with them during their forced journey through the Middle Passage. Learn how African foods and food preparation influence what Floridians eat today. Martha R. Bireda, Ph.D., is Director of the Blanchard House Museum of African History and Culture, located in Punta Gorda, Florida. For over 30 years, Dr. Bireda has consulted, lectured, and written about social issues related