Emancipation Day In Florida

JUNETEENTH BECAME A FEDERAL HOLIDAY IN 2021. IT RECOGNIZES JUNE 19TH 18 65 AS THE OFFICIAL END OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES. NOW SOME FLORIDIANS ARE MAKING THE CASE TO HAVE MAY 20TH BECOME THE STATE'S EQUIVALENT HOLIDAY IN 1997. THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND THE MUSEUM OF FLORIDA HISTORY BE KING BEGAN THE FIRST EMANCIPATION DAY. CELEBRATIONS WGC YOU REPORTER JOHN TO PARK SPOKE WITH PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR EFFORTS TO TURN MAY 20TH INTO AN OFFICIAL STATE HOLIDAY. >> UNBEKNOWNST TO MOST FLORIDIANS MAY 20TH THIS HISTORIC DAY IN FLORIDA. SOON AFTER THE CIVIL WAR ENDED IN 18. 65 SLAVERY WAS LEGALLY ABOLISHED ON THIS DAY IN FLORIDA. MULTIPLE GROUPS ARE READY TO PERSUADE THE STATE LEGISLATURE THAT MAY 20TH SHOULD BE DESIGNATED AS FLORIDA'S EMANCIPATION DAY. RELEVANT HISTORICAL REENACTMENTS TOOK PLACE AT THE BLANCHARD HOUSE IN GORDA. FORREST MYERS IS CHAIR OF THE SONS OF UNION VETERANS. >> FORT MYERS WAS HELD ON IN OUR. WE WERE VICTORIOUS FORT MYERS WAS THAT OFFENDED? 5, 200 AND TURNED COLLAR TROOPS. ONE WHITE BOY. 210 BLACK AND WARD. HOW COOL IS THAT? >> THE MILITARY VICTORY WAS ONLY THE START TO ADDRESS THE HARMS OF SLAVERY. ACCORDING TO BE AN ACT. IMMENSE EMPHASIZING HOW BLACKS WERE DEPRIVED OF BASIC RIGHTS. REYNA COLEMAN IS A GREAT, GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER OF A B COLEMAN. HISTORICALLY, THE ONLY BLACK BARBERSHOP OWNER IN GORDA. SHE EXPLAINED WHAT EMANCIPATION MEANS TO OUR PERSONALLY. >> THE HIGHEST LAW OF THE LAND FINALLY KNOWLEDGE OUR RIGHT TO EXIST AND THE LIKE. BUT A PIECE OF PAPER NO MATTER HOW HISTORIC CANNOT. AND STILL DEEP, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL TRAUMA, A SIGNATURE ON A DOCUMENT DIDN'T BUILD HOUSES FOR PEOPLE WHO HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING SIMILAR TO COLEMAN. >> JOURNEY FULL AND HAS DEEP ROOTS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. SHE IS A 5TH GENERATION NICE OF DANIEL SMITH WHO WORKED ON THE BECAME ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF GORDA AT THE BLANCHARD HOUSE FULTON REFLECTED ON A MEMOIR BY THE FIRST BLACK U.S. ARMY NURSE WHO SERVED DURING THE CIVIL WAR. >> HE SAYS AN KING TO THEIR FORCE NEEDS WC REESE JUST A CHAPTER. THE TEXTBOOK. IT MADE ME SEE MORE OF THE HUMAN COST THIS YEAR. THE PEOPLE LIVE IN EVERY SINGLE DAY. THE COURAGE IT TOOK TO LEARN HOW TO READ THE COURAGE. YOU COOK TO HOPE. >> UNITED THOSE GATHERED TO CELEBRATE FLORIDA’S HISTORY THESE READINGS AND RE-ENACTMENTS TOOK PLACE AT THE BLANCHARD HOUSE, WHICH REOPENED LAST AUTUMN AFTER RECOVERY FROM HURRICANE IAN CHAIRMAN OF THE BLANCHARD HOUSE CUMMINGS. EXPLAIN THE UNIQUENESS OF FLORIDA IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY. HE SAYS THAT COMPARED TO OTHER SOUTHERN STATES, BLACKS IN FLORIDA MOSTLY ENJOYED FREEDOMS FROM SLAVERY BEFORE IT BECAME A STATE IN 18. 45 DURING PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION, FLORIDA. >> FROM THE TIME OF SPANISH, FLORIDA AND BRITISH FLORIDA. IT WAS A PLACE OF PEOPLE WOULD ESCAPE TO FREEDOM. AND SO >> IT WAS IT WAS ACTUALLY ILLEGAL FOR TO BE DISCUSSED. BUT THE ON THE GROUND WHERE A VOTE WAS 3 TIMES LARGER. >> THE SOMEONE COMING TO THE SOUTH BECAUSE BASICALLY DURING THE SPANISH TIMES. >> IF YOU ARE BLACK, YOU ARE FREE OF WHEN JIM CROW LAWS WERE ENACTED IN FLORIDA IN 18. 85, THOUGH THE STATE WAS THE HARSHEST IN ENFORCEMENT. HOWEVER, GORDA WAS AN OUTLIER AND HAVING RACIAL UNITY. ACCORDING TO CUMMINGS. >> HE WAS FOUND IN BLACK AND WHITE FROM THE BEGINNING. DESPITE FLORIDA HAVING THE CROW LAWS, WE A COMMUNITY THAT WAS THAT DID NOT FOLLOW THE CUSTOM OF THAT. YOU KNOW, YOU MAY HAVE STATE LAWS OF PEOPLE HAD TO FOLLOW THE LAW, BUT THE CUSTOM OF IT, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO FOLLOW AND PEOPLE THAT IS SO WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF WHAT ONE WOULD PERCEIVE WHAT EXAMPLE PEOPLE. MY FAMILY WERE ONE OF THE FIRST ONE WAS ABOUT TO BOARD A ALWAYS LOOK AT THE ENTIRE TIME. THERE NEVER WAS LIKE NEVER WAS A TIME WITHOUT THAT. THIS IS VERY, VERY IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITIES CITED. HE WAS BEST OF EVERYONE THRIVES FREEDOMS LIKE THESE ARE WHAT STRENGTHENS THE COMMUNITY. ACCORDING TO CHECK BOTH E. >> I RETIRED TO LEE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER. THE CIVIL WAR PERIOD IS ARE REALLY AT ITS THE CRUCIBLE, WHICH MAKES AMERICA WHAT IT IS TODAY. >> IT WAS NOT FOR THOSE SOLDIERS. 750,000 OF WHOM WERE IN THAT WAR AND BECAME CASUALTIES. WE WOULDN'T BE THE COUNTRY WE ARE TODAY. SO I AM BLESSED TO BE HERE TO HELP EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND OTHERS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS ERA. >> IN MIDST OF THE CELEBRATIONS, ANOTHER HISTORIC REENACT ARE POINTED OUT HOW THE CIVIL WARS FIGHT AGAINST A DIVISIONS SEEMS TO BE REPEATING ITSELF IN CURRENT TODAY, RAYMOND FROM AND SAYS THAT CHANGES IN SOCIETY ARE SOME TIMES FRIGHTENING TO WITNESS. >> VERY CLOSE TO WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. AND THEN IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE INTO PEOPLE CHANGE. TAKES PEOPLE TO CHANGE IT, YOU KNOW, IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS. >> FORREST MYERS CONTINUES ORGANIZING THE SONS OF UNION VETERANS BECAUSE HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENT IN EDUCATION. CONSIDER THIS ANTIDOTES FOR WORRISOME SOCIAL DIVISIONS YOU'RE NOWADAYS. I KNOW PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER. >> THAT ARE IN THE SAME FAMILY BECAUSE ONE LIKES ONE CERTAIN CANDIDATE AND THE OTHER ONE CAN STAND IT. SO THAT THE VISION IS BEING REBORN. IT'S SCARY. WE DON'T NEED THAT. WE CAN LEARN FROM OUR PAST DIVISION. ACTUALLY, WE'RE STRONGER UNITED. THAT WE ARE AS ONE. >> TO FACILITATE THESE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS. DIRECTOR MARTHA BERETTA HOPES THAT THE BLANCHARD HOUSE CAN BE THE SITE WHERE PEOPLE LEARN LESSONS FROM HISTORY AND BEGIN UNDERSTANDING ONE ANOTHER. RIGHT NOW. MANY PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO HIDE AMERICAN HISTORY. AND SO IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THE TRUTH. AND OUR COUNTRY. RACE RELATIONS AND JUST RELATIONS WITH PEOPLE. WILL NOT BE HEALED. UNLESS WE TELL THE TRUTH OF AMERICAN HISTORY. AND CONTRIBUTING TO AMERICAN HISTORY. >> MEANS TO HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE STATE JOINED FORCES TO RAISE AWARENESS. FLORIDA'S EMANCIPATION DAY OF MAY 20TH. >> WE ARE NOW JOINED BY WGCU REPORTER YOUN-JOO PARK. AND YOUN-JOO, THAT WAS A PRETTY INTERESTING LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AND ALSO THOSE CELEBRATING FLORIDA'S EMANCIPATION DAY ARE REALLY INTENT ON MAKING THIS A STATE HOLIDAY, CORRECT? YES, ABSOLUTELY. >> MANY MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE MARSHALING RESOURCES AS WELL AS EFFORTS TO LET THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE KNOW THAT MAY 20TH IS A VERY IMPORTANT DAY OF EMANCIPATION OF BLACK HISTORY. AND WHAT'S VERY INTERESTING ABOUT BLACKS IN SOUTH WEST, FLORIDA, IN PARTICULAR, IS THAT OF ALL THE CONFEDERATES SOUTHERN STATES, FLORIDA IS THE STATE, SOLE STATE THAT GRANTED THE MAXIMUM FREEDOMS TO BLACKS. >> THAT'S VERY INTERESTING.