Free Publication for Students, Educators highlights Black History, Women’s History
The Orange County Regional History Center continues its “Heritage Series” of bilingual booklets with the February release of a second publication created especially for the many young people who visit the museum and their teachers.
In two sections, “Celebrating Black History/Celebrando la Historia Negra” and “Celebrating Women’s History/Celebrando La Historia de la Mujer,” the colorful booklet highlights the inspiring stories of Floridians whose contributions are woven into the fabric of our state and community’s history. The booklet’s text is presented in both English and Spanish and follows the History Center’s fall 2017 release of a bilingual publication celebrating Florida’s Hispanic heritage.
The students who visit the History Center on school field trips in February and March will receive a free copy of the booklet. Copies will also be available free to the public at the Orlando Public Library and the Downtown Orlando Information Center, and the booklet is also available for download here.
The brief biographies and pictures of African Americans featured include entrepreneur Wallace “Wally” Amos, Highwayman artist Mary Ann Carroll, educators Joseph and Wealthy Crooms, educator and Orlando City Commissioner Napoleon “Nap” Ford, Florida Secretary of State Jonathan C. Gibbs, Civil Rights leader Father Nelson Pinder, cattleman Lawrence Silas, and physician Dr. William Monroe Wells. The women’s history section features educator Mary McLeod Bethune, pilot Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran, environmentalist and writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas, activist May Mann Jennings, legislator Beth Johnson, Seminole leader Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, aerospace engineer JoAnn Hardin Morgan, and Tupperware icon Brownie Wise.
The booklet also includes samples of fascinating artifacts related to black history and women’s history, including a rare photo of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Orlando.
“Through efforts such as these Heritage Series publications, the History Center continues its mission to provide the opportunity for all Central Florida children and families to have access to quality educational programs and resources,” says the museum’s curator of education, Amanda Parish-Walters. “We’re proud to offer these new resources that students and teachers can take home and read to learn more about Floridians from all walks of life who defied the odds, overcame barriers, and achieved great things.”
“Celebrating Black History/Celebrando la Historia Negra” is supported by a grant from the Black History Committee of Orange County, Inc.
