The Little Town that Unity Built

Punta Gorda has been described as a “unique sociology” because of its biracial settlement and development. In this presentation, Queen Andrews, an African-American pioneer describes the five factors that made Punta Gorda a model for interracial unity in the Jim Crow era of the early 1960s.

Dr. Martha Bireda is the Director of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture of Charlotte County. For over 25 years, she was a consultant and trainer for issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, and class for school districts, law enforcement agencies, and other organizations. She is the author of A Time for Change: How White Supremacy Ideology Harms All Americans, released in September 2022, The Womb Rebellion, and is a monthly contributor to wsimag.org.

Registration is required to attend. This program is part of Marco Island Historical Society’s “Zoom In” 2023/2024 series. Register for future programs. This Florida Talks program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the Marco Island Historical Society. 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. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the aforementioned entities.