Sarasota’s First African-American Community Highlighted At ‘Newtown History Makers’

(Featured photo courtesy Vickie Oldham.)

“Sarasota’s first African-American community, Overtown, will be in the spotlight during a Newtown History Makers panel next week. Overtown, a segregated residential area of just 20 acres, was the first black community in Sarasota in the 1920s. While Newtown continues to operate as an historical landmark, Overtown was lost to downtown development during the 1960s.

The Newtown Alive initiative, which has launched heritage tourism in Newtown, has also contributed to economic growth within the community. The program uses historic markers, a website, mobile app and trolley tours to promote awareness of the community.”