Tag: African History

Flight to Freedom: Fort Mose Historic Park

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Heading to St. Augustine Florida this week. Going to cover the annual “Flight to Freedom” event at Fort Mose Historic Park.

The Fort Mose Historical Society will host daily events beginning Thursday Feb 7, concluding Saturday Feb 9

I am currently reading “Fort Mose And The Story of The Man Who Built The First Free Black Settlement In Colonial America” written by Glennette Tilley Turner.

A few historical facts shared in the book:

  • Zora Neale Hurston uncovered and published information about Fort Mose in a 1927 issue of the Journal of Negro History
  • In 1985 the Black Caucus of the Florida State Legislature secured funding to further Fort Mose research efforts

    Because of changes in the water level over the years, all of the original Fort Mose site is underwater.

…To be continued.

Via outline.com “ Say Goodbye to Your Happy Plantation Narrative”

.Reading time 1 minute.

Follow Instagram: @TheMergingLanesProject

Photos by Zoe Beery

Full Story Via Outline.com

Pictured is Cheyney McKnight, an Atlanta native and founder of interpretation company, “Not Your Momma’s History”. Raised in a home that encouraged her to learn everything from Civil Rights to the Great Migration, McKnight would eventually go on to attain a political science degree from Simmons College.

Immediately after, she spent 3-years of independent study, traveling to archives and historical sites in NY, VA and Pennsylvania. Then she started participating in Living History Re-enactments, which can be defined as a portrayal of everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning, and medical care from a particular historical period. Her first re-enactment was during the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. She portrayed a 22 year-old freewoman of color

McKnight is committed to influencing diversity in Living History interpretations. She recognizes the voice it can lend to contemporary movements such as Black Lives Matter.

Today, there is a small representation of Black Living Historians and she is committed to changing that. She is confident that in 10 years she will not be the only one doing this forecasting, “there will be 20 black women living historians just in New York” alone.