The Orange County Regional History Center is hosting a talk with Don Harrell, founder and CEO of African Diasporic Arts and Education Inc. and UCF Professor of Africana Studies, in conjunction with the exhibition, Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando's Underground. Figurehead tells the story of how the musical promotion company helped grow the local scene with a focus on underground rock music and the club circuit. Harrell will talk

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 and African American culture upon American culture as a whole. Registration and admission are not required to attend. Parking is available onsite. This program is

This presentation takes audiences on a historical journey through the state, featuring performances of songs covering a wealth of historical events, characters, and folklore with in-depth storytelling about Ponce de Leon's voyage to Florida in 1513, Henry Flagler's building of the Florida's East Coast Railroad, and more. Original songs come from Chris Kahl's Florida-themed albums, Orange Blossom Memories and Sunshine Kid. Chris Kahl is a Florida folk musician and storyteller.

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 Florida Studies program at the University of South Florida- St. Petersburg Campus hosts author Jack E. Davis to discuss his award-winning title The Bald Eagle. Americans love bald eagles. But that was not always true. By the end of the nineteenth century, bald eagles were nearly extinct even though the bird was embraced as a symbol of the country. The Bald Eagle is both a cautionary tale of humanity's

Explore the human fascination with seashells and their ancient history as global currency, their use as religious and luxury objects, and the remarkable marine mollusks that make them in Ms. Barnett's engaging account of an aspect of nature and culture long hidden in plain sight. Barnett illuminates the beauty and wonder of seashells as well as human ingenuity and scientific solutions they represent for the warming world. Registration and a

This presentation chronicles Florida's long and difficult relationship with water. Dr. Steve Noll examines attempts to turn water into land and land into water throughout Florida's history, including contentious water-related issues like the potential restoration of the Everglades, the battle over the Ocklawaha River, the degradation of north Florida's iconic springs, and more. Steve Noll is a master lecturer in the University of Florida's history department, where received his PhD