HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Tampa Housing Authority and Tampa Bay History Center are teaming up to establish Tampa's first Black History Museum.
The museum will go into a the now restored St. James Episcopal Church in the Central Park Village Neighborhood in Tampa. The historic site stands across from Perry Harvey Senior Park.
Fred Hearns from the Tampa Bay History Center said this museum is crucial to celebrating and educating people on Black history in Tampa.
Tampa city leaders will hold a press conference to officially announce the museum on Monday, June 17, where leaders and elected officials will share their support. Mayor Jane Castor will be one of the speakers.
“The reason why we must honor and share Tampa’s Black heritage is to celebrate the past and inspire future generations to appreciate and uphold the vibrant cultural diversity that makes Tampa so unique," said Jerome D. Ryans, president and CEO of the Tampa Housing Authority.
Hearns said there is still a lot of work and planning involved in developing this museum. They are calling on the community to share artifacts, pictures and written and oral stories to help preserve the history of the community.
"The movie theater, the church, lawyers, doctor's offices, everything that we needed, that we couldn't get in to society where we were banned, we could get into here on Central Avenue. That's why it's so important to keep this history alive," Hearns added.
It's something Tampa native Clarence Jones, who was born and raised in Central Park Village and lives there until this day, says is long overdue.
"This area was once enslaved by former slaves, bohemian slaves, who came to Florida from Cuba to work in the cigar factories, they paved the way into this community," Jones said. "I'm excited to see it."
There are opportunities for community members to be a part of the development. Click here for more information.
Tampa Bay History Center leaders gave a timeline of about 18-months before they anticipate a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
