Visiting the Historic Williams Academy

>> IN FORT MYERS, THE WILLIAMS ACADEMY, BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM CHRONICLES THE STRUGGLES AND PERSEVERANCE OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. WGCU CULTURE AND CONNECTIONS REPORTER ELIZABETH ANDARGE TAKES US ON A TOUR. >> THE MOST POPULAR THING THAT I HEAR IS AN AVENUE. THERE WAS THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM HERE IN FORT MYERS. >> THERE MAY BE MANY PEOPLE THAT DON'T IT'S A SMALL WHITE BUILDING THAT SITS NEXT TO CLEMENTE PARK. IT FOLKS PASS IT EVERY DAY ON THEIR WAY TO DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS, BELINDA GOLDEN PROGRAM, AN EVENTS COORDINATOR SAYS THAT REACTION IS EXACTLY WHY SHE BELIEVES THIS. HISTORY NEEDS A BIGGER STAGE STARTING. >> IN THE CLASSROOM, WE ARE SITTING IN THE WILLIAMS ACADEMY, BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM AND IN THIS PARTICULAR ROOM, IS A SIMULATION OF A CLASSROOM FROM BACK IN THE DAY. THE ORIGINAL WILLIAMS ACADEMY WAS BUILT FROM 1912, TO 1913. >> AND WAS LEE COUNTY'S FIRST GOVERNMENT-FUNDED SCHOOL FOR BLACK STUDENTS. THE SCHOOL IS NAMED AFTER J. S WILLIAMS SUPERVISOR. THE COLORED SCHOOLS. >> I THINK THAT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN THE SCHOOLS JUST LIKE WE LEARN AMERICAN HISTORY BECAUSE IT IS AMERICAN HISTORY. THE TEACHERS OFTEN TAUGHT EVERY GRADE. >> THAT'S WHY THE DESKS IN THE CLASSROOM COMMON SO MANY DIFFERENT SIZES FOR GOLDEN. SOME OF THIS HISTORY HITS CLOSE TO HOME. I WAS PART OF THE THE SEGREGATING OF THE SCHOOLS AT THE TIME. >> SO WHEN I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL, I WAS BUST FAR FROM WHERE I LIVE. I HAD TO CATCH THE BUS AT 5 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. 50 MAKE BY 7.30, CLASS. >> SO I TOOK A BUS THAT TOOK THE SUBWAY AND IT'S GONNA THE BUS TO GET THE HIGH SCHOOL EVERY DAY. I WENT TO A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE SCHOOL THAT WAS 99. I WOULD SAY 95% WHITE 5% BLACK. SO MY EXPERIENCE IN MY FRESHMAN YEAR WAS NOT A GOOD EXPERIENCE BECAUSE WE WORE WANTED THERE BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD. ONCE WE GOT A SCHOOL, THE STUDENTS TREATED US FINE. >> THE MUSEUM EVEN HOLDS PHYSICAL REMINDERS OF THAT ERA, INCLUDING SIGNAGE FROM WHEN THESE VERY RAILROAD TRACKS DIVIDED THE NEIGHBORHOOD. >> HE USED TO BE AN ORDINACE SIGN. IT. >> THIS WAS CONSIDERED SAFE THE HILL BECAUSE WELL, ON ONE SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS. >> BUT THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS GOING TOWARD DOWNTOWN ORDINANCE. SCIENTISTS SAID THAT IF YOU CROSS THE RAILROAD TRACKS, IT WILL BE. PRETTY DIFFICULT FOR YOU. DESPITE THE PAINFUL HISTORY >> GOLDIN SAYS SHE'S HOPEFUL FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. >> I HOPE THAT THEY CAN SAY THAT. YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING NOW SO MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT MY PARENTS DID. OPPORTUNITIES THAT EASY YEAR FOR FOR THEM AS OPPOSED TO THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE THE STRUGGLE WON'T BE. AS BAD AS IT WAS WHEN I TORE MY TIME OR EVEN MY PARENTS TIME. THAT'S WHAT I PRAY FOR EVERY DAY THAT IT JUST GETS BETTER FOR OUR KIDS. >> THAT MESSAGE CARRIES INTO THIS WEEKEND AS THE ORGANIZATION PREPARES TO CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH TOGETHER COUNTY BLACK HISTORY SOCIETY. WE PUT TOGETHER A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AND WE WANT HEAVY WANT TO COME OUT. >> THE LEE COUNTY, BLACK HISTORY SOCIETY IS INVITING THE COMMUNITY TO ITS ANNUAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION. >> ON SATURDAY FROM 04:00PM TO 09:00PM AT THE STARS COMPLEX IN FORT MYERS. FOR WGCU NEWS, I'M ELIZABETH ANDARGE.