Hello and welcome to a special edition of "Your South Florida."

I'm your guest host Darius V. Daughtry.

I'm the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Art Prevails Project.

Today we're coming to you from Destination Sistrunk Cultural Center in the Historic Sistrunk neighborhood, known as the heart and soul of the city.

It is Fort Lauderdale's oldest African American community named after Dr. Sistrunk, the first Black physician in Greater Fort Lauderdale, who helped establish the first hospital in Broward County for the Black community.

From Sistrunk to Miami's historically Black Overtown neighborhood and others throughout South Florida, Black history and culture are rooted in the fabric of these communities helping make South Florida the rich cultural melting pot it is today.

In honor of Black History Month, today we're highlighting the institutions and people who work year-round to preserve Black history, celebrate Black culture, and elevate Black communities.

Our first stop, the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in the heart of Sistrunk, only the third of its kind in the US.

The library features specialized archival collection dedicated to the study of the culture and history of the African diaspora.

We spoke with the library's Regional Manager, Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs, to learn more and how she is working to ensure the younger generation is learning the truth about Black history.

Esther Rolle's collection is here and very proud to have the Emmy that she won in 1979.

My love for history started with bad Black history.

I did not get the best Black history education in my K12 experience, but it took me going to Florida A&M University, taking my first Black history class there, actually changed my major.

I was so electrified and just had so much passion for it.

I knew that this is something that I wanted to do as a part of my career.

What people should know about the African American Research Library and Cultural Center is that when it was created in 2022, it was only one of three such institutions in the nation.

It was really inspired by the Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture, which is a part of the New York Public Library System and the Auburn Avenue Research Library, which is attached to the Fulton County.

This is a publicly-funded space that intentionally collects the history of African-descendant people.

And there really aren't that many places that do this.

I guess often hear people ask, "Well, why do you need such a space?

Isn't it exclusionary?"

Really when you think about it, the majority of these institutions over the existence of the United States, as long as there've been archives here, have heavily focused on the story of other groups of people.

And so we have to be very intentional about what we collect, what we preserve.

And AARLCC is an amazing place that does this for this region and for the state.

Part of what we we do in the geography is significant.

Being on historic Sistrunk Boulevard named of course after Dr. James Sistrunk, who in the years of segregation, when Black people couldn't go to white-owned hospitals, couldn't go to white medical schools, he was trained at a HBCU and for 16 years was the only licensed doctor who practiced among the Black population here.

This was the Black business district.

This was the place where people got congregated in this northwest quadrant of Fort Lauderdale, which because of segregation or because of the railway, was designated as the place where Black people were allowed.

And so our communities grew up over decades here.

And so AARLCC is a part of that legacy.

We actually took the place of the Mizell Library, which was the segregated library branch for this region.

We still have those books as a part of our collection.

We have carried that legacy forward with this institution.

And so as we move into the future, we do hang on to the remnants of our story.

They did happen, segregation was real for us.

What was really important for me and what I love to uplift is the ways that people of African descent survive, the creativity, the wherewithal, the self-determination, all of that is represented when I think about Historic Sistrunk and its legacy.

And AARLCC is proud to be a part of that.

People are so impressed by this facility.

And all credit to Samuel F. Morrison.

He was the Director of Broward Libraries and was the individual who conceptualized, came up with the idea for the creation of such a place.

There is intentionality in every portion of it.

This 60,000 square foot building, two stories, from the outside you see Adinkra symbols, which are from the Akan people in West Africa.

They are visual symbols of cultural values.

Everything from the flooring to the columns to the welcome desk were designed intentionally to represent and evoke this connection between Africa and America.

On the first level is our cultural center.

We have a 300 seat auditorium.

We have a museum gallery.

We have meeting rooms and spaces and a beautiful wide open lobby.

The Harambee Room is an intentional space.

It is a piece of public art designed by artist Gary Moore.

It is a circular room, which makes it really interesting in not only visually but acoustically.

On the floor, there is a pattern that represents the transatlantic slave trade and this journey that was made by our ancestors from the continent of Africa to America.

That's on the floor.

On the walls is a graphic design that includes elements from African culture all the way through the civil rights era.

You'll see pictures of Dr. James Sistrunk, Eula Johnson, and the wade-ins that desegregated Fort Lauderdale Beach and the lyrics to the Negro National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

On the second floor, we have stacks in adult information services and youth services.

In youth services, there is a real focus on diverse literature that features characters protagonist of color, which is really important for the self-esteem and development of young Black children.

And we do some excellent programming out of our youth services division.

But the real gem, what makes us special, what makes us a flagship within the library division is our archives.

We have a special vault that is climate-controlled and we have over a million items from rare books to manuscripts to art that we keep and preserved here on site.

It's important for us to make sure that we're telling stories that don't just start in slavery.

We want people to have a connection to the African continent.

Part of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade is that many African Americans don't know exactly where they came from, what region.

So we tend to embrace all of it and try to uplift as much as we can.

Since October, we have offered Black history classes one Saturday a month here in the building.

And I can just tell you it's been a tremendous response from the community.

So much so that we recently announced that we are going to start adult cohorts.

There are people who got no Black history or bad Black history when they were going through school.

They wanna be a part of the conversation and it makes sense if we are gonna have the type of substantial change that we need, we all have to start number one with a basic set of facts.

You can teach the kids, but the adults need to have the same information as well.

And so if there's any indicator of the power of this history, it's been the parents who have sat in the classes with the students and their attention, their amazement, their questions are really just an indicator of the gaps in knowledge that we have or the misunderstanding, the things that we haven't shared and talked about.

And for me that is a really important part of how we build the future, build a better future, an inclusive future, an honest future is starting with basic facts of history.

What people of African descent have had to contend with since coming to these shores has been combating negative racial stereotypes.

And I think the only way that we can ever build a future where there is equal, truly equal opportunity for everyone is if we interrogate what got us to this point, if we understand the roots of racial disparity, we understand the structures that maintained it over the years, but more importantly how people survived it.

What were some of the survival mechanisms that they put in place to keep their communities intact?

That's the real work and that is what we need to continue to celebrate and to pass down.

I find this place to be a place of empowerment, knowledge of self, knowing the story of your people, what it took for them to survive.

The creativity, the determination, the grit, the ingenuity, the beauty, all of it are part of the stories that we tell and keep here at AARLCC.

But we definitely want people to understand that this is not just for people of African descent.

Certainly we do prioritize those stories, but this is something for everyone and we all need to know about each other if we're ever going to prevent the type of marginalization and stereotyping that has happened before, we have to have people who are willing to lean in, who are willing to come out.

This is here for them to enjoy as well and we welcome that.

In 2021, Arts Educator Advocate and Administrator, Portia Dunkley cofounded New Canon Chamber Collective, an ensemble of South Florida-based musicians whose repertoire focuses on composers from the African diaspora.

I sat down with Porsche to learn more about the collective and how it's creating opportunity for Black professional musicians and building community through classical music arts.

We are here at The Circuit event space here at Destination Sistrunk.

But Portia, I know that you are not from this area.

You are from Miami Overtown, born to Bahamian parents, Haitian descent.

Tell me about growing up in Miami.

Growing up in Miami was wild during the '80s and the '90s, I actually loved my community.

I grew up in Overtown, 6th Street, 6th Avenue.

My mom is Bahamian, my dad is Haitian.

We went to The Bahamas very often, especially during the summers to visit the family.

And I spent a lot of time with my Haitian family as well.

So I have those, that blend of the Caribbean, that's a part of my upbringing.

Awesome.

Are there any specific memories of growing up in Miami that stick out to you from your youth?

It was just being outside, playing with my friends in the neighborhood.

We had this one kid, I remember his name was Percy, and he like was developmentally delayed and we'll get into why this part is important.

And he was never ostracized.

He was a big part of our neighborhood kid gang, we all played together.

We made space for him, we made room for him.

And no one ever really used his disability or his ability to not just kind of play like the rest of the kids against him.

We all like, it was a neighborhood gang of kids if you think of like Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang.

Okay, cool, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Hey, hey, hey.

Yeah, so no, I think a lot of us had Percys in our lives, right?

There there were kids that we just embraced and brought in.

So with that, you as a kid doing your thing with your group of Ragamuffin kids on the street, right, how did you get connected to or find music?

So my mom would always tell me that she studied piano and she played the saxophone when she was younger, but she quit because her teacher tried to make her read music.

And there was some disconnect for her right there.

And so she always wanted to play.

And she was glad that when I showed interest in anything, she would just always support it.

When I was in elementary school, I had this teacher, Mr. McKay, a music teacher.

I love music, my favorite subject.

They started a string program at the school during my fifth grade year.

And I wanted to be a part of it, but unfortunately I couldn't because they had already assigned all the instruments.

And so the next year though, because I was a kid like a dog with a bone, I came back and I asked him if I could play the violin.

He was like, "Well, we don't have anymore violins left, but there's this one instrument."

And it was a bass, it was like laying on top of a shelf.

And that's how I started playing the bass.

[Darius] And at that point the bass was bigger than you were.

[Portia] It was much bigger than me.

Yes, yeah, definitely.

[Darius] So in your household, you say your mom was a musician at heart.

Was there music in the house often?

Yeah, definitely.

Like, we had a record player that played and my mom, my mom always had the radio on.

We would listen, like we grew up in the like traditional gospel kind of Christian home and she would have 1490 WMBM, Victor T. Curry playing on the radio all the time.

We had a collection of soul records, but it got played when she wasn't there.

And then also she bought us like kid records songs that we would sing like in nursing school and stuff.

Well, tell us more about Teeny Violini and your efforts to expose young people to music.

So Teeny Violini initially, and remember I had mentioned Percy earlier, when I first came up with the idea to teach kids music or to incorporate music, I was really trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

And I was inspired by my nephew Dallas, who was developmentally delayed, when he was born he was beautiful, normal kid, and then developed these lesions on his brain.

And so it caused him to regress.

And I say that, because he became, he reminded me of Percy a lot in a lot of ways.

And my interaction and my being with him during the summers when I would watch him, was an inspiration for why I thought about Teeny Violini, why I wanted to make it this program, not just for our kids, but build it in a way that is accessible for all young learners.

And so I started the idea with that and years later came, moved down to Miami 'cause I was living in Tallahassee at the time, and I saw that there was a gap in learning for the students that were a part of the music program that I taught at, I taught a Miami music program and it was really, it was always a rough start for the kindergartners, for the first graders.

And so my idea, my thought was, okay, our kids need definitely more representation.

They need to see more of us, but they also need more high-quality engagement in music and what better place to start than with a bunch of beautifully like energetic early learners.

You mentioned earlier about, with Teeny Violini, about the importance of representation.

So I know with New Canon Chamber Collective, that is a major part of what you do and what you're trying to bring to the space in regards to classical music.

So please tell us more about that.

Yeah, so New Canon Chamber Collective is a South Florida-based ensemble that amplifies the voices of Black and Brown composers in the classical music genre.

And it also allows a space for Black and Brown musicians in our community to play together, curate music together, and just be in community with each other.

So tell us, but why is that important?

It's important because these spaces don't really exist down here.

The talent is here, the ability, the musicians, the drive are all here.

They're all here in the space, but the opportunities are few.

And you know, it's unfortunate, it's sad that we have to fight a lot to be seen and to be heard and to be valued as musicians, as artists equal to our non-Black counterparts.

So this is why New Canon is important because it's specifically a space where we're saying Black and Brown people, you are amplified, you're elevated.

This is for us, not excluding anyone, this is like, we're definitely counting you in.

I can just say from my perspective, being around and seeing New Canon, it was very refreshing the first time I was to sit and see an orchestra full of Black and Brown people.

Something that I hadn't really experienced in my life, especially here in South Florida.

So to know that so many amazing artists are here and you are working to help elevate and give them space is beautiful.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

I mean, that's been my experience as well.

Like as a bass player, as a Black woman bass player when growing up learning this instrument, being in this industry, very, very few, now you see us a lot more because of the social media and then just people are just getting out more.

But before there were not, it was very common for all of us Black musicians to have the same experience that we were either one or two of that we were just one of three in an ensemble.

And so the common feedback that I get is, "This is so awesome."

Rehearsals end at 9:30, they're still there to 10:30 in the parking lot.

They're kicking us out of the venue, "All right, y'all don't gotta go home, but you gotta, come on, y'all."

But it is just that type of comradery, that kind of community.

It's needed.

And like you said, the way you felt when you came there, it's the same thing for everyone.

It's awesome.

Tell us more about, as a musician, so as a theater artist and writer, I think for me, connecting with other writers that we can communicate in that same language.

For the musicians that are part of the collective, right, what has been their kind of feedback in regards to like finding these people?

Oh, listen, one of the common things I've heard like non-Black people was just like, "Oh, where are the Black musicians?"

So for me, finding my community was important, right?

And then connecting my community, the biggest joy for me is when I put together any iteration of New Canon, whether it's big or small, and there's someone new, and then I'm like, "Oh, you know, such and such.

Have you met this?"

And I'm like, "No, I didn't even know you were here."

Like, that's part of the value of the group of what we're doing, is that people are meeting each other and so they're hiring each other for gigs, they're playing and collaborating with each other.

Like these musicians are thought of first among the musicians in the collective.

Yeah, absolutely.

So then what has been the feedback from the community when you roll up with 45 Black and Brown?

You know, it's been beautiful.

Everybody's excited.

They love the energy, it's just, "Wow, thank you."

It's always a sense of gratitude.

"Thank you for this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Wow.

This was amazing.

When is the next one?

When is the next one?

When is the next one?"

You know, it's always that.

Okay, so when is the next one?

Like what's next?

What's happening for New Canon?

So what's happening for New Canon, a few things are in the pipes, in the works, but in June, again, and we collaborate on this, we're gonna be doing our show, bringing back "Remember the Times," which is a celebration of Black sitcoms throughout the '70s, '80s, and the '90s.

And we're actually adding some new flavor to that show as well.

Oh, cool.

Well it was fun last time, so I'm sure it'll be fun this time.

And anything, any big vision things happening down the pike for New Canon Chamber?

New Canon Chamber Collective, well, one is, we're also, two things.

We're working on a collaborative venture where we're gonna be putting out a recording soon.

That's one thing.

So we're fundraising for that.

And the other thing is the grant that the partnership that we're working on, what I'm really looking forward to with Art Prevails Project, Storied, right?

And the reason why I'm looking forward to that particular project is because we're amplifying new voices.

We're giving a space for new works to be presented and for artists to be immersed in communities and tell the stories of those communities.

So that one is definitely one big project that I'm looking forward to.

I am looking forward to that one too, yes.

So thank you so much, Portia, for hanging out with us today and telling us all about New Cannon Chamber Collective, Teeny Violini, your amazing story.

You are truly, truly an inspiration.

Oh, thank you, I appreciate that.

Thank you for having me.

The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach is the only museum of its kind in Palm Beach County, dedicated to discovering, collecting, and showcasing the contributions of the Africa diaspora in Florida and the US.

Spady Executive Director, Charlene Farrington, recently gave us a tour of the museum.

Take a look.

In 1922, Mr. Spady arrived from Townsend, Virginia to be the teacher for the colored children.

He married a woman whose family had migrated to Delray in the late 1800s.

Her name was Jessie Green, she was a teacher as well.

And the two of them finished building this house in 1926.

And this is where they lived.

And we're actually sitting right now in what used to be the Spady's living room.

In 1992, Vera Farrington, who full disclosure is my mother, retired from the Palm Beach County School System.

In 1993, began volunteering at the Delray Beach Historical Society.

She would assist people in finding what they were looking for, and then she would go back and look for information pertaining to Black people in Delray.

And she realized they did not have any.

So she contacted her colleague, Charles Spencer Pompey, who was an historian in Palm Beach County.

And they started talking about the Black history of Delray and realized that it exists, it just is not in the collection at the Historical Society.

So they put out an all call to the elders in the community at that time, they eventually named that group, the Founder's Board, and they started meeting and talking about their memories and the historical activities and events that took place here in Delray Beach.

And then they started bringing in their documentation.

They brought in birth certificates and marriage licenses and diplomas and business receipts and everything that they had that was evidence of the life they lived here in Delray Beach and their ancestors.

So they finally now have this large collection of materials, took it to the historical society with the intention of including it in their archives.

And they were advised to take on this material and the narratives that go with it as a separate project because the thinking was if the Historical Society had accepted the information, filed it away, who would know?

She had no inkling of how to establish a museum, but that wasn't going to stop her.

She had been an educator her whole life.

And this was part two, another way of educating.

What we learned very quickly was our audience was not Black people.

We had been sharing our own stories with our children all along.

Who needed to know that there was a history of Black people in Palm Beach County was everybody who was not Black.

There were details of Black history that we did not know, and there was so much more to the story that Black people did not know.

But there are people who were born and raised in Palm Beach County who didn't even realize that there was a Black history because all of the publications about the history of Palm Beach County and Delray Beach indicated that the first settlers here in Delray were European settlers.

And so immediately we had to start righting the wrongs of the written word.

And not only writing them, but convincing people that they were right.

And the way we did that was with our documentation.

Black history is American history.

All we are talking about, all we are sharing and collecting is another perspective, another side of that history.

And our goal is to make sure we share that history so that people have an entire holistic knowledge of the history that we share here in the United States.

Many of the early homes here in Colored Town were built from lumber that washed up on shore.

And to date, I have only been able to find one remaining home in our community that was made from that lumber.

We've had multiple exhibits over the years, all with the idea of bringing different segments of our community in, people with different interests, to learn about Black history.

And we have lately started showcasing local African American and/or Caribbean American artists.

This particular exhibition features a fabulous local artist by the name of Kandy Lopez.

Kandy is a fiber artist.

She paints and she also works with textiles.

All of her art really depicts individuals, regular everyday people in the community and the environments in which they live, for instance, this particular piece where she depicted an elderly lady walking down the street of her neighborhood.

And you can see an outline of some of the buildings where she lives.

We hear all the time people coming in and saying, "Oh, I have such a feeling of warmth when I come in here.

There is such a feeling of welcome when I walk through the doors here."

And I firmly believe, and this is just my belief, that the spirit of Solomon Spady, especially based on what his students, his former students have told me, is pleased with the work that we do here, is pleased with the fact that the place that he built to live in is now being used to continue to educate people, just like I know that Vera Farrington and C Spencer Pompey are pleased with the work that we are doing here at the Spady Museum, which is to continue to educate.

It was their life's mission, and we are continuing their legacy.

This is a place where we want everyone to feel free to walk through the door, ask questions, not feel intimidated, not feel blamed, not feel shamed, but to feel like they can come in here and get their questions answered or minimally have a conversation about whatever the topic is, Black history related, and walk away knowing a little bit more, or having at least a starting point to learn more about the history of people of African descent in the United States.

I don't want any child to grow up, matriculate through school here in Palm Beach County and not at least be aware that Black history exists here in Palm Beach County and I know where I can go and learn more.

And that's what I want for the future of the Spady Museum.

For more on the organizations featured on today's show and South Florida Black history, follow us on Facebook @YourSouthFL.

I'm Darius V. Daughtry, thanks for watching.