'Beaches, Benches and Boycotts' exhibit shares African American history in Sarasota

SARASOTA, Fla. - Photos of happy family moments mixed in with times of turmoil paint a picture of the 1960s for the African American communities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota.

"Once you walk in that door, you will be here longer than two minutes. Once you see what this is, you’ll want to see it all," said Walter Gilbert with the Sarasota African American Coalition and Newtown Alive. "I was around in this period of time. A lot of the things we see here I actually participated in and knew of, so not that long ago."

The exhibit called ‘Beaches, Benches and Boycotts' is on loan from the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg. A grant from the Florida Humanities Council helped bring the exhibit to Sarasota. It’s now partially displayed at ‘Studio A’ in the Rosemary District, once called Overtown, and at the Leonard Reid house in Newtown.

"We will be able to give certain segments of our community that know nothing about this stuff. That’s the surprising thing to me. I see people come through here of different ages that they weren’t familiar or some reason missed this as it was happening," said Gilbert.

Vickie Oldham, President and CEO of the Sarasota African American Coalition, is working to make sure the moments are remembered and not forgotten.

"I’m able to give talks about these major stories in our civil rights history that changed the Sarasota community forever," said Oldham.

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From sit-ins at Woolworth's to beach caravans at Lido Beach, each of the snapshots played a defining role in the community’s future.

"There was a struggle that happened here in Sarasota and African American pioneers had paved the way for Black and brown people to enjoy this beautiful community just like everyone else," said Oldham.

For those visiting, it’s an exhibit that speaks to them.

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"It makes me humble. It makes me disgusted and frustrated and just wanting to care about what’s happening. I think it’s perfect, and I think children need to see these stories. We don’t want this story again at all," said Zerbe Sodervick.

‘Beaches, Benches and Boycotts’ is on display until May 18 at 1421 5th Street in Sarasota. It's open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., and from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.

You can contact organizers for more information, or to schedule a tour, by clicking here.

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