Author: elsims

I recently visited my cousin who lives in Winter Park, Florida. She drove me around and showed me the area, lakes, houses, parks and historical sites. We rode through the town of Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville, incorporated in 1887, is considered to be one of the first black American towns. Being as I had never heard of it before visiting my cousin, I was definitely interested in this town’s story. I was able to get a couple snapshots, but nothing substantial. My cousin, however, attended a historic walking tour in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Zora Neale Hurston in Eatonville, where she was able to get some good pictures, which I will be sharing in this post.

In my research of looking up little known black facts, I discovered that there is a few different towns claiming to be the “first” black incorporated town. I appreciate how Eatonville’s website says it is one of instead of the first. There is a town called Allensworth located in California that was labeled as the first Black town in an article I read. I can only assume the person who wrote the article did not do their research. Allensworth, founded in 1908, was the first Black California town. I, of course, felt the need to dig deeper and put in the search, “What was the first black town?” Eatonville was the first town to pop up. Cute, but we all know to not use the first thing that pops up in Google. As I scrolled down, Brooklyn, Illinois came up next. Brooklyn is labeled as the “first” as well and they may actually be able to claim that title. Brooklyn, Illinois was started in the 1820s and incorporated in 1873, fifteen years before Eatonville and thirty-five years before Allensworth.

Here is a link for continued reading on Allensworth, California,

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/allensworth-california-state-archives/mQLiVfAd-6y4JA?hl=en

Here is a link if you are interested in reading more about Brooklyn, Illinois,

http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/Brooklyn/index2.html

Now, I still didn’t want to overlook any other towns, so I continued to scroll. Yep, another one popped up. Now, to give this town some credit, they did not say they were the first incorporated town, just the first town. This is starting to become a mess. Mose, located in Florida, was stated as the first legally sanctioned black town established in 1738 for runaway slaves. Now, if we are skipping the incorporated part, I believe that Mose, Florida is the winner as the first black town. Here is a link to read more about Mose,

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/histarch/research/st-augustine/fort-mose/

Back to Eatonville. Eatonville was a town founded by newly freed slaves from Georgia, Alabama and some other northern states in 1880. The cornerstones of early Eatonville were church, school and family. St. Lawrence African Methodist Episcopal Church was the first Black church in the area.

Eatonville was the birthplace of novelist Zora Neale Hurston.

Here is the link to the town’s website. You can read about the town’s history and current events on this site,

http://www.townofeatonville.org/about/

At this point, I don’t know who the clear “first” was and I am sure if I keep looking, I will find more. What I do know is, Black people were fighters. They were resilient in the face of adversity and had a strong desire to make the best of a horrible (and this is an understatement) situation. You can find Black History in every state of this country, if you look. Stories that don’t just involve slavery. Black history is so much more than that and always has been. During this Black History Month, let’s learn a little history and do some of our own research. Stay well and whole. Much Love 🧡💚

I know this is not Mental Health Awareness Month, but my heart is heavy and my mind is overactive. News came on Sunday of Cheslie Kryst, 2019 Miss USA, passing away due to suicide. Why was Cheslie depressed? She won the Miss USA pageant. She was a host on Extra, meeting famous people and attending glamorous events. She had accomplished so much in her young age. A lawyer with an MBA. She was always smiling and laughing. Most people would be confused as to why a beautiful young lady, who looked like she had a great life, would want to leave this world? Back in the day, so would I. Now, I have a better understanding.

I will not say I have any inkling of what Cheslie was going through before her death. Do I know what it’s like to be a woman in this world? A black woman in a world that is still racist? A woman that is aging and feeling like she has not done enough and that she may never do enough? I know all of that. I know of the pressures of this world. I know it takes strength that only God can give to continue to stay positive, to not give in to negative self talk and to not let the opinion of others weigh me down. I know that I have to constantly find gratitude through my limitations and adjust every time one of my current abilities are altered. I know that I am not far from experiencing depression myself. And that any day, if I slack up just a little, I may find myself there.

So when it is all said and done, let’s not judge. Let’s seek to understand. Let’s find compassion and empathy. Let’s be kind. I don’t know what you are dealing with and you don’t know what I am dealing with. We don’t know who is suffering from depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts. We don’t walk around with our burdens on display. We hide them. We cover them up with smiles, make up, nice clothes, big houses, fancy cars. We bombard people with pictures of our fun times and happy moments. We are scared of letting people truly see us. We think that people won’t understand. The truth is, they will, more than we know.

After my friend shared the news in our group chat, I became angry. I was mad at my friends, as if they had done something. But on the other side of anger is hurt. I would be devastated if one of my friends was hurting and hiding it from me. I would be mad that they thought I wouldn’t drop everything and help in whatever way they needed. I told them that in the chat with so much feeling behind my words. My heart breaking at the mere thought. And realizing the most selfish part of me would be hurt that now I have to spend the rest of my life without one of them.

Mental health awareness and treatment has come a long way since back in the day when they would cut out portions of your brain, as if that was an answer. Mental health is starting to lose its stigma. It is starting to get the attention it should have been gotten. The pandemic has helped to highlight its importance. But it still has a ways to go. If you are suffering, please get help. Don’t think that you will just wake up one day and be better. It doesn’t work that way. There are resources available, medication, counseling, group therapy.  You just need to find the one that works for you. I am telling you, the world is a better place with you in it. Make being well and whole a priority. Much Love 🧡 💚 with an extra dose of Love ❤️.

This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I got on my soap box. I was general upset with the energy that is put into this holiday. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. absolutely deserves the honor and respect. But it usually doesn’t extend past his day of recognition. There is not a display of energy year round to make his dream a reality. Some things that I say here may offend people, but I don’t care. As a woman, who happens to be black, that lives in America, I have a problem. I have a problem with the way black people are treated in America. And it gets bigger if I look at the way black women, in particular are treated. This is usually when people get upset and bust out the all lives matter talk. No one has every denied that. It is great that people are able to see the big picture, but let’s not miss the details.

We have one national holiday where we honor one man for his contributions to this country in regards to black people. We have one month where we highlight the achievements of black people in this country. And each year they recycle the same facts and the same people. Yet there is so much more black people have contributed and continues to contribute to this country. Why are we not talking about that?

Okay, so if I have a problem, my job is to find the solution or be the solution. I will be the solution. Each week I will post about a little known Black History fact, person or event, including current ones. Whatever I find that educates and intrigues me. And if it is something that you already know, good. If not, even better.

As a black person, I know how diverse and unique we are. I love my culture and my people. I dislike when we are stereotyped by ignorant people, experience discrimination based on passed down racist beliefs and ostracized for our differences. Expected to assimilate to fit in, when what we bring is needed and helps to make this world better. I love the skin I’m in. And if I had to do it all over again, I would want to come back as a black woman with my ex-boyfriend’s hair and a couple inches more on the height 😆. Seriously, not joking. And I hope that everyone loves themselves in the same way, no matter what your race is.

So here is a quick Black History fact.

Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson is known as the father of African American History.  Dr. Woodson was an author, editor and historian. Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 because he realized that black people’s contributions and history was going to be overlooked and excluded from the history books. In 1926, Dr. Woodson launched Negro History Week observed the second week of February to raise awareness and celebrate Black History.  Dr. Woodson wrote over 30 books on Black History including The Mis-Education of the Negro, The Negro in Our History and The Journal of Negro History.

You can read more about Carter Woodson at these links,

https://www.wvstateu.edu/about/history-and-traditions/carter-g-woodson.aspx

https://www.history.com/news/the-man-behind-black-history-month

I am going to be honest, I have not done much research into black history before. The facts I know are the same ones that the majority of the population are familiar with as well. This will be educational and informational for me. I am looking forward to digging in and finding nuggets of Black History that have not really been discussed. If you know any lesser known Black History facts, please don’t hesitate to share them with me. Stay well and whole. Much Love  🧡💚