SYNERGY -Vivian Filer

I think there's a way to have a conversation with anyone, especially about race. We have go to stop telling the half-truth, thell the full-truth and be able to meet each other at some level that we can go forward.

-Vivian Filer

Some may think that living a “double life” is difficult or undesirable, but to dynamic individuals such as Vivian Filer, it is a passion. Filer has been incredibly influential in giving a voice to the African American community in both the healthcare and artistic sectors.

Raised in Gainesville from the age of seven, Filer’s two-part career began in ninth grade, when her teachers introduced her to prose and poetry. She recalls the impact these teachers had on her as a child: well-dressed professionals that instilled the value of community in their classes. She brought these values with her as she grew to share Black and African American stories. This passion would eventually become her calling. For over 60 years Filer has been known as a storyteller, from her middle school class to across multiple states.

“I only do African American writers. I don’t tell original stories. I tell poems that were written by the old Black writers and I put those into story form. I could go into a classroom and teach Black history at a time when it wasn’t being taught.”

Filer has been on the front lines of the civil rights movement since its inception; she was integral to integration of the healthcare industry as well as heavily involved in fighting the Jim Crow laws of the following era.

Filer was involved in integration not just on a local level but was also instrumental on an institutional desegregation. She served on dozens of committees and was the chair of the Gainesville Women for Equal Rights committee, one of the first integrated groups of women in Gainesville, which was responsible for the integration of doctor’s offices and hospitals.

Here we come to the other side of Filer’s “double life”: healthcare. She has had a fruitful career as a nurse and later educator, and she counts her time as a pediatric nursing teacher as one of the most fulfilling aspects of her career.

When she got married at 20 years old, there was no college in the area that was open to African Americans. It wasn’t until ten years later that she was able to enroll at Santa Fe college, and she worked towards her degree while working night shifts as a nursing assistant. She would eventually transfer to the University of Florida and graduate with a BSN. She returned to Santa Fe to teach pediatric nursing, and after another few years, she obtained her master’s in education from Nova University and a masters in psychology/ mental health nursing from the University of South Florida.

“When I tell a story, there are no degrees involved. I am the story… I guess that’s what pulls [the two things] together, is my love for children.”

More than anything, Filer stresses that her storytelling is her most significant achievement. She regaled story after story of sharing African American stories with young, impressionable children, and she stressed the importance of sharing the “truth, the facts” about race and slavery even if it becomes uncomfortable.

“I think there’s a way to have a conversation with anyone, especially about race. We have got to stop telling the half-truth, tell the full truth, and be able to meet each other at some level that we can go forward.”

Filer has been present for the issues that affect African Americans. This commitment to the Black community is evident from her career in education to her prolific storytelling, and her endeavors have rippled across Gainesville. She dedicates this ambition to her family and to the teachers that inspired her to become involved in social justice.

More than anything, Filer implores others to know their background. Individuals should become educated and move forward “not in ignorance”. The lessons she gleaned from working within a racist system have taught her that political action is necessary to inclusion.

“People will never change if you pat them on the back for bad behavior. If you’re not AT the table, you’re ON the table.”

However, she is overwhelmingly pleased at the progress she has seen in society. “I hope my journey has led to a place where young people can pick up and go on with their own ideas. I am pleased with where young people are and where they’re going. I smile all the time.”