Did You Know?

Resistance & Resilience

Dr. Scotty & Hsiu Huang History Center Plant City Photo Archives, Inc.

As most are aware, February is Black History Month, and since the 1920s, a theme has been designated for the celebration. The theme for 2023 is Black Resistance, which showcases the different approaches people have “sought to nurture and protect Black lives, and for autonomy of their physical and intellectual bodies through armed resistance, voluntary emigration, nonviolence, education, literature, sports, media, and legislation/politics”. Despite the shifting levels of equality in social and economic advancements – which had once been gained during the era of Reconstruction and later revoked with Jim Crow –Plant City’s Black communities persevered.

The establishment of Howell’s Creek community in 1866 (known as Bealsville since 1923) by former enslaved men and women was the foundation of today’s Black communities. Its church, Antioch Baptist Church (1868), and oneroom schoolhouse, Antioch School (1873), became precursors to later faith institutions and educational spaces in Bealsville and Plant City. Regrettably, with the enforcement of Jim Crow, segregation further imposed division within Plant City’s citizens and produced an imbalance regarding resources valuable to an individual’s overall well-being. However, when inclusion and opportunities failed to be extended, members of the Black community found ways to be self-reliant, constructing neighborhoods which would meet their personal needs – schools that taught grades one through twelve, sports teams and recreational centers, restaurants, and boarding houses. This growth flourished in downtown Plant City with the creation of a business district on Laura Street in the 1930s.

For the month of February, the Bruton Memorial Library will feature an exhibit designed by the Improvement League of Plant City with photos provided by Plant City Photo Archives. The display will highlight notable Plant City trailblazers, such as E. L. Bing, Jr., Janie Wheeler Bing, Edwin “Lee” Candis, Chevelle Hallbeck, and Ruby Lee Williams. It is through the legacy of their tenacious and inspiring characters that we see that Black resistance can also be interpreted as Black resilience.

Since 1982, the Improvement League of

Plant City’s mission has been “to foster equitable opportunities for residents, regardless of age, sex, race or religion throughout the City of Plant City”. As stewards of the Bing Rooming House Museum, the League showcases the history of Plant City’s Black community while providing educational and social service programs, such as youth forensic science training and events for the MLK Festival. The Bing Rooming House Museum is located at 205 S. Allen St. and you can contact them by email contact@improvementleague.com, or call the office 813.704.5800.

You can find additional photographs on exhibit at Plant City Photo Archives, located at 106 S. Evers St. For more information or if you would like to share your photos and history, or volunteer with the Archives, please email info@plantcityphotoarchives. org or call the office at 813.754.1578.

References

“2023 Black History Theme Executive Summary: Black Resistance,” Association for the Study of African American Life and History, asalh.org