Before Gibbs Junior-Senior High School opened in 1927, Pinellas County had no school for African Americans past sixth grade. Gibbs became the county’s first public secondary school for the Black population, occupying an eight-classroom building that cost $49,490 to build.
BY NICOLE SLAUGHTER GRAHAM | Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG — This upcoming May marks the 70th year of the Brown v. Board of Education verdict, which ushered in the desegregation of schools nationwide. To commemorate the anniversary, the Tampa Bay Times’ Newspaper in Education (NIE) program will produce a multi-component project that will aid today’s high school teachers in their instruction on the desegregation of schools.
To give context to the historic ruling, the NIE program is seeking former teachers, students, and administrators who worked or went to school in Pinellas County when desegregation was passed — and then adopted seven years later — to give their accounts of their experience.
“For students today, this can feel like ancient history, and we’re going to use those personal stories to make the topic come alive. The community can share a simple quote, share a story, and if they’re willing, share photos or sit down for an interview,” said Sue Bedry, Newspaper in Education development officer.
The project consists of four components: a teacher’s guide, an educator-specific webinar, which is free for Florida teachers, four live, in-person community forums, and a special section in the Tampa Bay Times’ digital education section on May 17, the exact anniversary of the verdict.
The project will be distributed throughout Florida, and the stories of desegregation in Tampa Bay will be taught in at least three other municipalities. The in-person forums will also be held throughout the state, with at least one in the Tampa Bay area. Though the exact cities are subject to change, Bedry said Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Miami are the current cities of interest that the NIE has identified.
“It is very important that we participate in this project because this is another opportunity for our stories to be told,” said Gwendolyn Reese, president of the African American Heritage Association. “This is a story that needs our perspective, and this is a narrative we’re usually absent from. If we have the opportunity to share our perspective from our experiences, we should always take advantage of that.”
Bedry noted that the NIE is collecting stories from both sides of the Bay, and though they’ve received many responses from Tampa, more narratives from St. Petersburg are needed. How desegregation was implemented and managed in Tampa was vastly different than what happened in St. Petersburg, Bedry said, and thus, both perspectives are equally as important.
Reese noted that the then-all-Black schools in St. Petersburg, Gibbs High School included, all remained open, while Tampa’s closed down. “We fought hard to keep our schools open, and most of them stayed open. St. Petersburg was very unique in that way, and we need to excavate why things happened the way they did. We need to illuminate our stories so that we can have a better understanding of why.”
Dates and exact locations for the in-person community forums are to be announced soon, as are dates for the webinars. Bedry said the NIE hopes to distribute the educational materials to high schools in late February or early March.
For those who want to participate, an online survey has been created. The link will be active until Jan. 24.
Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JPKSPPX
For more information or questions, please reach out to Sue Bedry, Newspaper in Education Development Officer at the Tampa Bay Times, at sbedry@tampabay.com or Gwendolyn Reese, President of the African American Heritage Association, at gwendolyn@aahasp.org or 727-497-7472.
