Black History Month

Despite persistent drizzle, thousands gathered for the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival.

Kenneth and Eugene Gavin are part of the legacy of the Gavin and Walker families on Sanibel Island. The two families were among the first Black settlers on the island.

Five authors, librarians and book shop owners suggest turning to literature to help teach kids about Black history, culture and themes for this Black History Month.

February is Black History Month, and several events are planned across the greater Tampa Bay region.

Nova Southeastern University was scheduled to host a screening of the locally-produced documentary "The Poison Garden", which delves in racial injustice in South Florida. But the event was canceled after NSU staff raised concerns the film could be too politically provocative.

As part of WUSF’s ongoing series asking for your stories about Black history, we hear from ancestral funk artist Siobhan Monique.

Said Gail Dudley, a retired osteopathic doctor in Hillsborough County: "We have a history of discrimination, which we can change, but not if we sugarcoat it and cover it up."

Olympia Baylou had a successful career in finance for many years before she switched to teaching middle school full time.

"We can't learn from the past if we don't even acknowledge that it existed."

We also feature WUSF audio postcards highlighting Black history this month.

As part of our series featuring your voices on Black History Month, professor Cheryl Rodriguez says students are hungry for this knowledge.

On Black History Month, listeners share their stories about discovering their connections to the past. We hear from a white woman who recently discovered that she has Black ancestry.