The Fighting Baileys: Florida’s Black Military Experience

During World War II and Korean War, seven brothers from a black Punta Gorda family served overseas. Yet, the family received no acclaim for over fifty years for their exploits. From a high-flying Tuskegee airman to a grunt in the Red Ball Express, the Bailey brothers’ struggles in a Jim Crow south speak to the hidden and ongoing struggle to accord black Americans in their place in the military. Parking available onsite. No registration or admission fee required.

James Abraham is a former journalist who now edits and publishes books. His Book-Broker Publishers, which he founded in 2004, has produced and edited more than 500 books in a variety of genres. Abraham is a writing coach, critic, and lecturer. He has conducted the longest-running race relations class in Charlotte County. A graduate of Oberlin College, Abraham is the author of Century: A People’s History of Charlotte County.

This Florida Talks program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the Sulphur Springs Museum and Heritage Center. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.