The rise of Black heritage tourism & Museums

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The "Say Their Names Cemetery" in Minneapolis was created to honor George Floyd and other Black men and women who died at the hands of police brutality. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Plazas where enslaved people were once bought and sold and spots where civil rights marchers were beaten have become sought-out destinations for visitors, Axios' Steph Solis and Russell Contreras write. ? Why it matters: The rise in Black heritage tourism is helping breathe new life into sites that had been forgotten or abandoned — and giving new generations a way to pay homage to those who fought for social justice. ? Once-overlooked places like the community of Africatown in Mobile, Alabama, have become a must-visit for Black heritage tourists. Descendants of the Clotilda — the last known U.S. slave ship to bring captives from Africa — now offer "The Africatown Experience Boat Tour" every month. Florida has located civil rights sites in the state for visitors. Mississippi has mapped the Blues Trail, to be explored with a Spotify playlist, and advocates in Texas are working to locate sites linked to the Underground Railroad to Mexico. The National Park Service lists more than 80 sites connected to the traditional Underground Railroad that people can visit.

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Eatonville emerging as possible Florida African American history museum site

Eatonville is emerging as a top potential site for a planned Florida African American history museum, even as its efforts threaten to collide with a legal battle over the land that would house the new structure in the historic Black town.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/02/27/eatonville-emerging-as-possible-florida-african-american-history-museum-site/?

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Seminole County among 8 locations for state Black History museum

As the task force choosing a site for the planned Florida Museum of Black History narrows its options, Seminole County has become the second Central Florida locale under consideration for the museum.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/03/25/seminole-county-among-8-locations-for-state-black-history-museum/?

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A Black history museum in Florida — a whitewashing-history state | Commentary

There are a couple of weirdly conflicting things going on in Florida right now.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/05/florida-black-history-museum-whitewash-maxwell/?

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Will a Florida museum on Black history tell whole story? Some worry it won’t.

Recent actions by Gov. Ron DeSantis spark concerns about project that Eatonville, others are seeking

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/11/will-a-florida-museum-on-black-history-tell-whole-story-some-worry-it-wont/?

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Eatonville’s bid ranks high to be home of Florida Museum of Black History

Eatonville’s bid to become the home of the Florida Museum of Black History grew far stronger this week as state officials ranked it among the top contenders and a new agreement in a legal dispute removed the largest impediment to the town’s preferred museum site.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/17/eatonvilles-bid-ranks-high-to-be-home-of-state-museum-of-black-history/?

Eatonville closes gap in rankings to host Florida’s Black history museum

Eatonville’s bid to become home of the Florida Museum of Black History inched closer Friday to the top spot on a state ranking.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/04/19/eatonville-closes-gap-in-rankings-to-host-floridas-black-history-museum/?

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Eatonville seeks $15 million in tourist tax for Black history museum bid

A group hoping to persuade the Legislature to award the Florida Museum of Black History to the historic town of Eatonville has made another move to strengthen its bid, seeking $15 million in tourist-tax revenue for the project.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/17/eatonville-seeks-15-million-in-tourist-tax-for-black-history-museum-bid/?

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Is Eatonville or St. Augustine the right spot for a Florida Black History Museum?

After months of lobbying and debate, the choice has come down between Eatonville and St. Augustine, the clear front-runners to be home to the first Florida Museum of Black History. The two appear to be neck-and-neck in the view of a splintered task force which must recommend a site by the end of next month.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/19/is-eatonville-or-st-augustine-the-right-spot-for-a-florida-black-history-museum/?

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Denying Eatonville, task force votes 5-4 to put Florida Black History Museum in St. Augustine

On a 5-4 vote, a state task force chose St. Augustine Tuesday as its recommended site for a Florida Black History Museum, denying Eatonville’s bid and slighting Central Florida’s distinction as the country’s tourism capital.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/21/denying-eatonville-task-force-votes-5-4-to-put-florida-black-history-museum-in-st-augustine/?

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Eatonville lost the battle for the Black History museum — but insists it could win the war

Although the panel vetting sites for the Florida Museum of Black History recommended St. Augustine over Eatonville this week, a big question remains that gives the Orange County town hope it may yet prevail: Who’s going to pay for it?

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/05/24/eatonville-lost-the-battle-for-the-black-history-museum-but-insists-it-could-win-the-war/?

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Republican senator files bill to place Black History museum in St. Johns County

Sen. Tom Leek, a North Florida Republican, filed a bill Monday to officially name St. Johns County as the site for Florida’s Black History Museum.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/03/republican-senator-files-bill-to-place-black-history-museum-in-st-johns-county/?

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A $2 million makeover aims to tell the Black community’s story in Parramore’s Wells’Built Museum

A $2 million renovation will begin soon on the Wells’Built Hotel, once the lone haven for Black travelers in segregation-era Orlando and now a museum where that history resonates.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/26/a-2-million-makeover-aims-to-tell-the-black-communitys-story-in-parramores-wellsbuilt-museum/?