I AM Atwater’s Cafeteria
Atwater’s Cafeteria was a mainstay in the African-American community, serving up southern-style food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for more than three …
The first librarians at the James Weldon Johnson Branch Library
Helen Allen Edwards By Gwendolyn Reese Leslie Burke, who had been the librarian at Gibbs High School, was the first librarian of the James Weldon Johnson …
From enslavement to mass incarceration
By Gwendolyn Reese, Contributor MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Recently, I was in Montgomery, Ala., attending the Equal Justice Initiative’s Peace and Justice …
I AM The James Weldon Johnson Branch Library
Seventy-one years ago on April 1, 1947, the James Weldon Johnson Branch Library was dedicated and named in honor of James Weldon Johnson, a poet, author, …
I AM Rosalie Peck
BY GWENDOLYN REESE Rosalie Peck was the last of 10 children born to her parents, James and Octavia Peck. A native of St. Petersburg, she attended Jordan …
I AM Lonnie Donaldson
Lonnie Donaldson was a revered name among community and political activists. He was a force to be reckoned with and whose depth of political knowledge was …
I AM Perkins T. Shelton
BY GWENDOLYN REESE Perkins T. Shelton moved to St. Petersburg from Chicago in 1970 at an age when others might be thinking of retirement and relaxing, but …
Gibbs Junior High School
By Gwendolyn Reese The Tampa Bay Times, as does many other newspapers, offers limited access to past articles. This made it increasingly difficult to find …
Education in early St. Pete
In 1910, Davis Academy, later to become Davis Elementary, opened as the first formal school for African Americans. The school, located at 950 Third Ave. S, was …
Timbuktu Saturday School of African American History
Memorable Moments in African-American History As a people, we find ourselves in a time of turmoil. As such, it has never been more important to know who we are …
I AM: Iveta Jones Martin-Berry
I am Iveta Jones Martin-Berry, pharmacist and community activist. Martin-Berry was a St. Petersburg native and a 1953 graduate of Gibbs High School. She then …
I AM Rosa Jackson
By Gwendolyn Reese In 1973, Rosa Jackson, a retired dietary worker, started a family and community tradition of serving Thanksgiving dinner to the public. In …
Memorable Moments: “NAACP launches drive for 5,000 new members”
By Gwendolyn Reese The headline “NAACP launches drive for 5,000 new members” appeared in the St. Petersburg Times “Local” and “National Negro News” …
Memorable Moments in African-American History
BY GWENDOLYN REESE During the process of researching the community ancestors you’ve been reading about these last few months, I found an abundance of …
I AM: John ‘Geech’ Black
BY GWEN REESE John “Geech” Black was the owner of Geech’s Bar-B-Q, the place to get a pig meat sandwich back in the day. Black opened Geech’s in …
I AM: John Hopkins, Sr.
Mr. John Hopkins, Sr. receiving one of many awards John Hopkins, Sr. was born October 16, 1911, in Bartow. A scholar and an active sports enthusiast, …
I AM: Emanuel M.W. Stewart
BY GWEN REESE Emanuel M. W. Stewart was an educator, role model and leader. Educated in a one-room school near Ocala, he was certified to teach after …
I AM Sidney Harden, Sr.
Sidney Harden, Sr. came to St. Petersburg with his wife and family in 1926. He was industrious and an entrepreneur. Before opening his grocery store, …