Punta Gorda Beginnings: The Little Town That Unity Built
It all begins with an idea.
“It is my belief that all humans are connected in some way and what affects others, no matter the distance or seeming differences, will ultimately affect us; history proves this to be so. I choose to be a conscious agent of change and encourage others to become part of the collective consciousness of healing our nation and our world.”
Bio:
Martha R. Bireda, Ph.D., is Director of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture, located in Punta Gorda, Florida. For over 30 years, Dr. Bireda has consulted, lectured, and written about social issues related to race, gender, class, power, and culture. Dr. Bireda’s books explore and examine critical issues past and present that impact our global society. She believes that awareness and recognition of the universality of social issues can contribute to the resolution of problems that affect all societies, and confirm our human connectivity.
Dr. Bireda is a Florida Humanities Scholar. Programs that she offers to organizations throughout the State of Florida through the Florida Humanities Speaker Program are:
The Little Town That Unity Built
Punta Gorda, a small town on Florida’s Southwest coast, has the distinction of having the state’s second oldest population. The town has another lesser known but significant distinction as well. Punta Gorda has been characterized as having a “unique sociology” due to its early biracial settlement and development. In this lecture, we will examine the five factors which contributed to this biracial unity and to a “shared prosperity” experienced by all residents despite the presence of Jim Crow. As a result, the beginning of Punta Gorda serves as a model for demonstrating the power of biracial unity.
The Jim Crow Era
This program provides an overview of the Jim Crow era and its continued influence in the collective American mind. Jim Crow laws and customs will be examined; stereotypical images of blacks presented. The Jim Crow laws that existed in Florida will be discussed.
Pandemics and Protests: America in 1919 and 2020
In this program, the ways in which the social climate of America in 2020 mirrors that of 1919 will be explored. The similarities and differences, as well as the factors influencing the social conflicts in each year, will be examined.
Powerful Doctoring Women
Grannies and midwives were powerful “doctoring women” who provided the foundation of healthcare for enslaved African Americans in Florida. Listen, learn, taste, smell, and touch as one such woman named Pearl shares the plants and herbs that kept enslaved Africans healthy on the Bellamy plantation.