This event has been canceled. Please check back with our events calendar for any updates, or reach out to the event contact for more details.  In this presentation, Dr. Bireda examines the many contributions enslaved Africans and African Americans have made to American culture. Traditional culture retentions survived the Middle Passage and have influenced present-day American culture. This presentation provides surprising and previously untold facts about the impact of African

New weather patterns, larger storms, and rising sea levels are challenging communities and transforming conventional thinking. Archaeologists document the shifting seascape's destruction of archaeological and historical sites and offer long-term perspectives on human adaptation and maladaptation to environmental changes. This presentation is global in scope and includes Floridian archaeological perspectives. This program is free and open to the public. Registration is not required to attend. Uzi Baram is a Professor

The nation's first Underground Railroad was established in Florida in the late 17th century, servings as a beacon of freedom for runaway slaves from the American south. Existing before the better-known Northern Underground Railroad, enslaved Africans gained their freedom by escaping and earning asylum in Spanish Florida. This presentation focuses on Florida's early history as a Spanish territory, the escape routes used by runaway slaves, and the black communities they

The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami presents a conversation with Haitian artists Michelle Lisa Polissant, Mark Fleuridor, and Morel Doucet in conjunction with their special exhibition, Didier William: Nou Kite Tout Sa Dèyè on view through April 16, 2023. The artists discuss their complex relationship to the place of their birth from the perspective of the diaspora moderated by Dr. Jerry Philogene, Associate Professor of American Studies at Dickenson

The Jewish Council of North Central Florida is hosting a lecture with Ken Wald, PhD, as part of their lecture series One Nation Under God: Religion's Impact on the United States. Throughout American history, religion has been a binding force for communities. This lecture looks back on the roots of America's founding to reveal how fundamental religion was to the founding fathers. This program is funded in part through a

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. James

New College of Florida's Humanities division hosts a lecture with JB Miller in coordination with their photographic exhibit Life in Pinecraft on view through February 24 at the Carlisle Inn. Today, Pinecraft is a unique enclave and a popular winter-time destination for Amish and conservative Mennonites in the United States. JB Miller, a Mennonite who grew up in the Pinecraft community, shares his knowledge of the history of the community

ReadOut 2023 kicks off with literary icons Radclyffe and Ann McMan with a retrospective of lesbian and feminist publishing past, present, and future. The conversation is facilitated by award-winning humorist Fay Jacobs. Radclyffe is a retired surgeon whose 50+ novels have earned more than 25 awards from Lambda Literary, Golden Crown Literary Society, and other writers' associations. She is the president of Bold Strokes Books, one of the world's largest

ReadOut 2023 and the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Library presents authors Rob Sanders and Sarah Prager in conversation about LGBTQ literature for middle grade and young adult readers. Rob Sanders has written 17 funny and fierce books and is recognized as a pioneer in LGBTQIA+ nonfiction picture books. Blook Brothers, released in July 2022, is his first middle-grade novel, written in powerful, raw verse. Sarah Prager is dedicated

Spike the Punch: Three Films and community conversations presented by FIU's Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab in collaboration with Iris PhotoCollective celebrates the art and meanings of in Spike Lee's early films Do the Right Thing (1989) , She's Gotta Have It (1986) , and Malcolm X (1992) . A community conversation with Dr. Andrea Queeley and Carl Juste follows the screening. Registration is suggested but not required. Funding for this

Florida has a relationship with Africans and the Diaspora unlike any other state. This presentation chronologically examines this relationship beginning in the sixteenth century through the present day and provides a broad overview of the African Diaspora experience in Florida, highlighting both the pitfalls and the triumphs within Florida history. Registration and admission are not required to attend. Dr. Dixon is the President of Archival and Historical Research Associated and

Anniversary to Commemorate the Civil Rights Demonstrations (ACCORD) has organized a narrated history tour for each Saturday in February to coincide with Black History Month. The tour includes many of the 30+ sites of the Freedom Trail Tour. This tour will be narrated by local historian and author David Nolan. Visitors will embark the local Green Trolley Bus and learn about the rich Civil Rights and African American History of

ReadOut 2023 and the LGBTQ Resource Center of Gulfport Library hosts authors and poets Gloria Munoz, Sheree L Greer, and Sander Santiago with moderator Jenny Boyer for a conversation about the intersection of LGBTQ identity and poetry. Gloria Munoz is a Colombian American writer, an advocate for multilingual literacy and writing, and St. Petersburg's new Poet Laureate. Her poetry collection Danzirly/Dawn's Early was awarded the Academy of American Poets 2019

Nova Southeastern University's Council for Dialogue and Democracy is hosting three workshops focused on the Broward County community's needs and wants as regards local government services and processes. Broward County residents are invited to participate in these community conversations to explore the workings of local government and how these actions meet (or don't meet) the needs of the County's residents. This first discussion will focus on past government services and

In 1949, during the Jim Crow era, Silver Springs' owners Carl Ray and Shorty Davidson did something unique: they created a place for African-American tourists. Located downriver, they dubbed their creation "Paradise Park for Colored People". From 1949 to 1969, the former Silver Springs boat captain Eddie Vereen ran one of the most popular places for African Americans to visit in the country. Registration is not required to attend. The

ReadOut 2023 and the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Public Library presents this panel, featuring six award-winning authors discussing the secrets to writing mystery and suspense stories that keep readers turning the page. Becky Bohan is the author of the 2020 award-winning novel, A Light on Altered Land. Her 2022 novel, The Santorini Setup, won a Royal Palm Literary Award and a Global Book Award. Penny Mickelbury's many books

ReadOut 2023 and the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Library presents a panel discussion of how the broad genre of queer romance explorres the transformation of LGBTQ romantic relationships in literature. Melissa Brayden is the multiple award-winning author of twenty-three contemporary romance novels. She is a dedicated storyteller on the page and stage with a Master's Degree in theatrical directing. Sander Santiago is a Queer-Trans BIPOC writer bringing LGBTQ+

ReadOut 2023 and the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Library presents an author panel to discuss queer young adult literature. Maria Ingrande Mora is an author whose young adult debut novel, Fragile Remedy, was selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her second novel, The Immeasurable Depth of You, will be released in March 2023. Aaron H Aceves is a bisexual, Mexican-American writer born and raised in

The civil rights movement in St. Augustine drew national attention when Martin Luther King, Jr. visited twice in 1964, sparking marches, arrests, and clashes between protesters and police on the tourist-lined beaches. Local and national objectives complemented and contradicted each other in ways that affect race relations today and are examined in this presentation. There is no registration for the event, and free parking is available in the library's lot.

ReadOut 2023 and the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Public Library present Fiction: Lesbian Imagination at Work. This panel features authors who bring their training as a librarian, journalist, and publisher, as well as their life experiences, to craft divergent stories that engage readers in the lives of lesbian characters, their families, friends, and antagonists. Kristen Arnett is the queer author of With Teeth: A Novel, which was a

ReadOut 2023 and the LGBTQ Resource Center of Gulfport Public Library presents authors Jamison Green and Zader Keig in conversation about Queer Trans men's literature. Jamison and Zader's decades-long involvement in educating and supporting individuals across the transgender community offers unique insight into the challenges and benefits of aligning one's gender identity with their physical presentation. Jamison Green, PhD, is a writer of fiction and nonfiction, best known for his