FPAN - Celebrating Our Ancestors

Celebrating Our Ancestors

Join us for a multi-day public event dedicated to sharing the history of enslaved people in Pensacola and celebrating their significant contributions to the city’s unique culture.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2024

RECEPTION & BOOK TALK

Kick-off “Celebrating Our Ancestors” on Friday, October 25, 2024, with a book talk featuring Joe McGill and Herb Frazier, co-authors of Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery. Pre-registration is encouraged.

5:00 pm Libation Ceremony led by Dr. Toni Anderson-Steele followed by reception & book signing
6:00 pm Book Talk

FIRESIDE CONVERSATION AND SLEEPOVER

Following the book talk, Mr. McGill, founder of the Slave Dwelling Project, will lead a fireside conversation and sleepover in the UWF Historic Trust’s Historic Pensacola Village. This overnight stay is the signature program of the Slave Dwelling Project. Pre-registration is required.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2024

CELEBRATION EVENT (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM)

On Saturday, October 26, 2024, continue celebrating with a large public event highlighting the contributions of enslaved Ancestors and their descendants. All Trust museum spaces will be free and open to the public. Enjoy the following activities:

- HANDS-ON COOKING PROGRAM: Pre-registered participants will recreate meals prepared by enslaved people in Pensacola, guided by historical and archaeological research. Led by Jerome Bias, this program teaches about enslaved cooks, foodways, and open hearth cooking. This program is now SOLD OUT. Please register if you would like to join the waiting list.

MINI-WORKSHOP LEARNING LABORATORY (30 minutes each):
- 11:30 am African American Genealogy Mini-Workshop: Learn about genealogical research and the challenges of tracing enslaved ancestors. John Veasley of the West Florida Genealogical Society will share tips and answer questions.
- 12:30 pm Cemetery Preservation Mini-Workshop: Discover best practices for cemetery preservation, including legal considerations and funding. Led by Florida Public Archaeology Network and UWF Archaeology Institute staff.
- 1:30 pm African American Archaeology Mini-Workshop: Understand how archaeology helps uncover the history of enslavement and learn how to get involved. Led by Florida Public Archaeology Network staff.
- 2:30 pm African American Archival Research Mini-Workshop: Get introduced to archival research methods and how to access historical documents relevant to enslavement. Led by Dean DeBolt, Head of University Archives and West Florida History Center

COMMUNITY STAGE: Enjoy performances and storytelling by local artists. During transitions, the emcee will share the names and stories of locally enslaved individuals.
- 10:30 am Welcome & Opening Remarks
  - Libation Ceremony Led by Robin Reshard of the Kukua Institute
  - Lift Every Voice and Sing performed by Ethan Middleton
- 11:00 am Performance: Polimbatree led by Lepoleon Williams
  - Polimbatree will bring to the stage an Afrocentric Styled, entertaining and enlightening experience featuring a troupe of Poets, Singers, Dancers and Percussionists who have local and African Motherland roots. For our finale we will invite others, on site, to join in for a rousing Ancestral salute.
- 12:00 pm Performance: Giwayen Mata
  - Giwayen Mata is an award-winning, dynamic, soul-stirring, all-sistah, dance, percussion, and vocal ensemble
- 1:00 pm Performance: Our Voices are Many: From Slavery to Freedom led by Mamie Hixon
  - Our Voices Are Many is a presentation of African American history and literature through poetry, music, song, and dance performed by community leaders, students, and local performing artists. The production was conceived and directed by Mamie Webb Hixon, UWF Writing Lab Director and Assistant Professor of English. This presentation places African American literature and music in a historical context from the Colonial Period (1746-1800) to the present in a variety of genres: African dance, Negro spirituals, gospel music, sermons and speeches, blues and jazz, folk tales, and poetry. The selected readings and performances will show how African American literature provides a response to historical movements, tensions, and controversies.
- 2:00 pm Performance: Ethan Middleton
  - Ethan Middleton is a multi-genre singer from Pensacola. Ethan graduated from the University of West Florida in 204 with a BA in Vocal Performance and Arts Administration.
- 3:00 pm Closing Remarks

POP-UP MUSEUM & MARKETPLACE: Local organizations will have booths to provide information and lead hands-on, family-friendly activities and local businesses, artists, and artisans will be selling their products.
- TourMotherland Ventures
- Pensacola Archaeological Society
- Florida Public Archaeology Network
- National Park Service, Gulf Islands National Seashore
- University of West Florida Archaeology Institute & Department of Anthropology
- Pensacola Habitat for Humanity
- Florida Department of Health Escambia County
- Chappie James Museum of Pensacola, Inc.
- Polimbatree
- University of West Florida History Club
- African American Heritage Society of Pensacola
- Kukua Institute
- Chef Rob’s Catering Service
- Shining Talent, Education, and Recreation

Pre-registration for all or individual programs listed above is here:

Registration

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

We invite nonprofit organizations and local vendors to join “Celebrating Our Ancestors.”

SHARE INFORMATION AT THE POP-UP MUSEUM

Nonprofits and community groups can set up free booths to share information and engage visitors with family-friendly activities. Each organization will receive one folding table and two chairs.

SELL YOUR PRODUCTS AT THE MARKETPLACE

Local businesses, artists, and artisans can set up booths to sell their products for a fee of $50.

Apply here:

Organization/Vendor Application

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information, contact Mary Furlong Minkoff at mminkoff@uwf.edu.

OUR PARTNERS AND PLANNING COMMITTEE

“Celebrating Our Ancestors” is a collaborative effort involving organizations and individuals from across Pensacola and Northwest Florida.

Projects