February is Black History Month and to celebrate IDignity wanted to share some fantastic Orlando History and notable figures in our community and their significant contributions.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Paul C. Perkins was the first African American to be appointed and serve as the City Prosecutor in 1965.
- The first African American to be elected to the Florida House of Representatives, Dr. Alzo Reddick, was ALSO the first African American in the state of Florida to pass a constitutional amendment – and he did it TWICE!
- The Headquarters of the Orlando Police Department was previously the Holden Street Elementary School. This school was built in 1935 and was the first school for Orlando’s African American students in grades 1st through 4th.
- The pitcher’s mound of Tinker Field is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his one and only speech in Central Florida, “Integration Now.” Less than a month later he would die in 1964.
- Have you heard of the Parramore Heritage neighborhood? This is where most of Orlando’s remaining African American historic sites are located because segregation did not allow African-Americans to live in the city’s predominantly white neighborhoods.
- In 1976 Judge Emerson Thompson, Jr. became the first male African-American judge in Orange County.
- 19-year-old Delia Miller helped to create this AMAZING mural below to help tell the stories of historic and infamous black Americans; the ‘Unsung Heroes of Parramore.’
The Florida Highwaymen
- One of our volunteers shared their love for the group of painters known as the Florida Highwaymen
- Below are some of the paintings he shared with us that are by the Florida Highwaymen
Check out some AWESOME celebrations in Orlando to honor, celebrate, and educate this Black History Month.
Black History Month – City of Orlando
Orlando Celebrates African American History in February and All Year Long
