What do I mean, Florida’s “other” history? Well, quite a few things. Essentially, it means Florida’s histories not taught in history books. It means histories of what made the Sunshine State what it is today — but, for whatever reason, they don’t get celebrated.
Let’s talk about Florida’s other history — the one that includes Black people; LGBTQIA+ people; women; Seminole, Miccosukee, and other Florida’s first people; and other overlooked histories.
I love my MLA in Florida Studies, but when I took my graduate seminars, they focused a lot on what we call “colonial history”.— history that focuses on the narratives of the people who colonized Florida.
That means focusing on the Spanish, the French, and the British, and then moving right along to the white men in Florida’s more recent history. Is that history important? Absolutely. But it leaves out a lot, which is why fellow Florida-phile Ryan Worthington and I have started a Facebook group to explore the other history of Florida: Women, Black, LGBTQIA+, Tribal, and the other forgotten and overlooked pockets of Florida.
Juneteenth is no doubt significant, but have you heard of May 20? That’s Florida’s Emancipation Day. Image from the Twine Collection, via State Archives of Florida.
There’s no shortage of Florida history to explore.
What’s shocking is that it’s not exclusively nonwhite or female or LGBTQIA+. Our colonized history also leaves out some pockets of history that include white men, too. There are no shortage of stories of drug runners, Gladesmen, and other people who helped shape Florida.
And, while no one’s arguing that white men have had a tougher time than traditionally marginalized groups in Florida, traditionally, we celebrate the winners. That means white men get punished for being on the wrong side of history, too (See: The Burden of Southern History.) A prime example of this? Florida’s erasure from British Colonial America prior to the Revolutionary War.
So what won’t the Facebook group and forthcoming podcast cover?
Well, we’re not going to talk a lot about Lawton Chiles or Andrew Jackson. Or any number of people who you can readily learn about elsewhere. We recognize there are lots of people who made Florida amazing who get no credit (or next to no credit) in our history books.
If this sort of history interests you, check out our Facebook group — and stay tuned for our soon-to-follow podcast!
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