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Perspectives host Tom Flanigan meets with Althemese Barnes, Clifton Lewis, Dr. Sandra Thompson, Sergeant Major Jarvis Rosier, Dianne Williams-Cox, and Bob Holladay to discuss the move to make Florida's Emancipation Day a state holiday.

Emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee on May 20, 1865, 11 days after the end of the Civil War, and two years after the Proclamation first issued by President Abraham Lincoln freed those enslaved in Southern states. For this reason, Emancipation Day is traditionally celebrated on.

What Emancipation Day May 20th Means to Me | Contest was sponsored by the Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. “What does Emancipation Day, May 20th mean to me?”. Explain the historical significance of Emancipation Day, May 20th, 1865, and describe what this day means to you. Opportunity “We the People,” the first three words of the United States Constitution, is a potent phrase that conveys a sense of [...]

Charles Barnes Speaks NBC2 News | How Fort Myers neighborhoods are divided by race.

This Sunday marks the Easter Holiday and here in Southwest Florida residents are gearing up for a long-held tradition in Fort Myers that today attracts tens of thousands of people:  The Dunbar Easter Parade.  This week’s encore essay from News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams pays homage to the legendary local woman who founded the parade74 years ago. Evelyn Sams Canady was an educator as well as an important civic and religious leader [...]

The Williams Academy Black History Museum unveiled a new exhibit honoring the oldest predominantly black churches in Fort Myers, all more than a century old. Lee County Black History Society told WINK News about how the museum tells its own story Friday.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Friday is the start of Black History Month, and we want to share with you the history of some African American heritage in Southwest Florida. The Lee County Black History Society building is the perfect way to kick off the celebration. It’s located at 1936 Henderson Avenue in Fort Myers, and the building was actually the first government-funded black school in Fort Myers. Inside, there are walls [...]