Vickie Oldham initially learned about Peg Green’s new art quilt but only truly felt its emotional impact when she visited Green’s home to see it in person. The quilt, titled “Leadership: Vickie Oldham, Newtown Alive,” symbolized progress in Oldham’s work in preserving the history of Newtown, a predominantly Black community in Sarasota. Oldham, the president […]

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County recently published an insightful blog post titled “Women Leaders in Community Engagement in Preservation and Heritage Tourism.” The article highlights the significant contributions of women leaders in preserving and promoting heritage tourism within the Sarasota community. The blog post delves into the pivotal role of women in driving community […]

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is hosting a new exhibition, “Glimpse of the Artist: A Community Celebration,” highlighting the cultural diversity and artistic output of Sarasota’s predominantly African American Newtown community. The exhibition, on view at The Ringling’s Community Gallery, is presented by the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition and is co-curated by […]

SARASOTA, Fla. – A home in Sarasota‘s Rosemary District will soon carry the legacy of the city’s first Black community. Plans are in the works to transform it into an African American cultural arts center and history museum, but first the home has to be relocated. “This house was the homestead of Mr. Leonard Reid […]

Deep within Sarasota, Florida lies the historic neighborhood of Newtown, a community where thousands of African American residents flocked in the early 1900s. The Black community built their own safe haven in the quaint seaside town after Jim Crow Laws enforced racial segregation throughout the South. Formed in 1914, the neighborhood was once home to […]

Sarasota, Florida’s white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters draw visitors from far and wide, but they weren’t always so welcoming. “Few of our guests, our international and domestic tourists who come here, understand why these beaches are open to Black and brown people from everywhere in the world,” said Vickie Oldham, who chronicled 100 years of local Black history […]

Vickie Oldham wants Sarasotans to understand the courage and dignity of the African American residents who built Sarasota’s infrastructure. Black laborers built the railroad that ran through downtown Sarasota, Oldham noted. They helped clear snake-infested land on the barrier islands to ready it for development. And some worked for John Ringling’s circus.   Such stories […]

Newtown Alive and Sarasota County Schools this weekend unveiled a bronze plaque cast in the likeness of Mrs. Dorothye Smith that will adorn the front of Southside Elementary School for generations to come. After completing her education at Bethune-Cookman University, Smith began her career in Sarasota teaching African-American fourth graders at Emma E. Booker Elementary […]

“The Oak Tree Community Outreach, a local not-for-profit corporation, is hosting  an international event July 19-21 at The Curry House at Reflections of Manatee Inc., 1305 4th Ave East, with historical  significance to The Bahamas and Bradenton, Florida. The Back to Angola Festival  will celebrate the blended history of Red Bays, Bahamas, and the early 1800s community known as […]

“After reading a short passage from Canter Brown Jr.’s book, “Florida’s Peace River Frontier,” Vickie Oldham was so startled she had to read the passage again. And then again. And again. “I wanted to commit it to memory,” she says. Oldham, who grew up in southwest Florida, had always been a student of the area’s […]

“The African American community in Sarasota known as Newtown is a local gem containing the rich history of people, places and events that contributed greatly to the development of our beautiful city by the sea.” Read more from this overview of Newtown Alive from Visit Sarasota: https://www.visitsarasota.com/get-know-newtown-through-its-history

“Cultural arts centers, museums and libraries situated in the heart of African American neighborhoods add texture, vibrancy and richness to a community. The facilities bring diverse people together and invite residents, visitors and guests to venture into underrepresented communities. Welcome doors swing open both ways for an understanding and exploration of the unknown and unfamiliar. […]