Nora Neale HurstonEatonville, FLConsidered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature, Hurston was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and has influenced such writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Gayle Jones, Alice Walker, and Toni Cade Bambara.The First Class of Florida State Normal and Industrial School class of 1904: Tallahassee, Florida-Later became the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.Robert William Butler, John Adams Cromartie, Arthur Rudolph Grant, Rufus Jason Hawkins, Rosa Belle Lee, Sara Grace Moore, Winifred Leone Perry, Walter Carolus Smith, Margaret Guinervere Wilkins, Margaret Adelle Yellowhair (2nd from right, front row), Walter Theodore Young.Judge James DeanMonroe County, FloridaHaving graduated first in his class from Howard Law School, Judge James Dean was elected Monroe County judge over two white candidates in 1888. (Dean was said to be the first black county judge elected after reconstruction in Florida.)Governor Francis P. Fleming removed him from office in 1889 for marrying a black woman and a white man (although the groom said he was mulatto). In 2002 Governor Jeb Bush reinstated his judgeship.Reverend James PageTallahassee, FloridaFirst ordained black minister in Florida. First pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist ChurchMary McLeod BethuneDaytona Beach, FloridaAn American educator and civil rights leader, Bethune is best known for starting a school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman UniversityFlorida Highway MenAll Over FloridaThe Florida Highwaymen were a group of 26 African American artists that have been capturing Florida's landscape on canvas for over 50 years and their works of art have become very collectible. Self-taught and self-mentoring, they have created a body of work of over 200,000 paintings, despite facing many racial and cultural barriersEatonville, FLIn 1882, businessman Joseph C. Clarke bought some land from Maitland Mayor Josiah C. Eaton. Clarke began selling lots to black families from Maitland and nearby Orlando and Winter Park. By 1887, though race relations were relatively harmonious, many blacks dreamed of having their own town. On Aug. 15 of that year, 27 registered voters, all black men, met and voted to incorporate. The new town consisted of 112 acres (the land Clarke bought, plus a 10-acre donated tract) and was called Eatonville in honor of the original owner.That vote made history: Eatonville was the first incorporated African-American community in the nation. Some 100 such communities were founded during the same era; only about a dozen remain.Florida Black History Trail23 years ago, the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, took note of black history by publishing The Florida Black Heritage Trail. It is a compendium of more than 140 places that reflects African Americans' significance to the history of Florida.Josiah T. WallsCentral FloridaBorn a slave, Josiah T. Walls is one of the most important historical personalities in North Central Florida's history. He was one of the first African Americans to practice law in Alachua County, and he has the singular distinction of being Florida's only Reconstruction Era black congressman and the leading black politician in the state during the nineteenth century.Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.Born in Pensacola, FL,Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. became the first African American to reach the rank of four-star general in American military history in 1975.
Nora Neale HurstonEatonville, FLConsidered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature, Hurston was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and has influenced such writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Gayle Jones, Alice Walker, and Toni Cade Bambara.
