January 21, 2021
The ACCORD Freedom Trail contains 31 historic markers to commemorate the lives and sacrifices of all those who fought for freedom during the civil rights movement. It is located in Lincolnville, a smaller section of St. Augustine founded by newly-freed slaves at the end of the Civil War. It specifically memorializes the men and women who played an integral role in civil rights in St. Augustine. Included on the Trail are the homes of civil rights leaders and activists, churches where important civil rights meetings were held and which supported civil rights efforts, black-owned businesses, homes where Dr. Martin Luther King stayed during his visits to St. Augustine, and many more historic sites. Though we tend to focus on Birmingham as the battleground of this movement, the civil rights movement in St. Augustine was also a critical force against racism and segregation. Here, Dr. King held rallies, led sit-ins at local segregated restaurants, and marched each night to the "Slave Market" at the heart of St. Augustine. Some heroes the Trail commemorates are Dr. Robert Hayling (civil rights leader who, along with three other black men, were beaten by the Klan and nearly burned alive), Henry and Katherine Twine, Kathryn Fentress, and the first black children to go to newly integrated schools.
Artifact 1: 160 M. L. King Avenue--"The Civil Rights House"
This lovely Victorian home is nicknamed "The Civil Rights House" because of the oddly contrasting figures who lived here at different times. The vibrant orange tree at the front sinks its roots deep into soil that was once a plantation and orange grove. Build atop this ground soaked with the blood and sweat of slavery, was the home of the local gas and electric company manager. After him, the family of L. L. Fabisinski lived here. This boy grew to become Judge Fabisinski, who founded the Fabisinski Committee--a committee which aimed to keep segregation alive in St. Augustine schools. But this house later became the home of a hero: Dr. Robert B. Hayling, The Father of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Hayling heard the cries of his people, remembered the tears that stained the ground of his city, and he did something about it.
Artifact 2: St. Benedict Catholic School
This is the oldest surviving brick schoolhouse in St. Augustine. Until desegregation of public schools in St. Augustine, this school taught black children. Today it stands as a reminder of the brave Catholic nuns who were arrested for disobeying the law--which outlawed white people from teaching black people. These grounds were also once part of an extensive orange plantation. This history deepens the power of this space, which was dedicated to teaching black children--teaching that could have meant freedom for the slaves who came before them.
Exterior Photograph 1: Lincolnville Historic District Marker
Exterior Photograph 2: ACCORD Civil Rights Museum
(Starting Point of the Freedom Trail)
Photographs in conversation with this site:
Dr. Martin Luther pats a young protestor on the back as he leads a march down the streets of Downtown St. Augustine. This photo was taken on June 10th, 1964. Nearly 57 years ago, these men and women peacefully and courageously walked the same streets our group walked on last Thursday. Those that came before them paved the trail they walked to freedom on. As they marched, they too saw those landmarks along the journey. They were not alone--thousands who gave their lives, their freedom, and who longed to be free, were watching over them. Those streets are hallowed ground and you can feel their weight with each step you take.
(Photo source: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/05/1964-civil-rights-battles/100744/)
This infamous photo, taken June 18, 1964, documents a protest that occurred at a bay-front St. Augustine motel pool. This photo made the front page of the Washington D.C. newspaper on the day the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed through the Senate. Protestors refused to leave the "whites-only" swimming pool, causing one white man to jump in and attempt to clear them out. The motel manager, trying to take control of the situation, poured chemicals into the pool. All of the protestors were arrested. On the freedom trail, you can see the former home of Robert Victor Bell and his wife Willie Mae Bell, who hosted a civil rights activist named J.T. Johnson. Johnson was part of the swimming-pool protest, later called "the splash heard 'round the world."
Creative Component:
This is an acrylic painting on canvas. The Civil Rights House truly impacted me, and I wanted to represent both the history of the space and the reflections that my visit inspired in me. The ground this house was built on watched the African-American story in St. Augustine unfold. So many events occurred in this one location. I wanted to lean into storytelling by painting in a folk-art inspired style. Lincolnville stands where an orange plantation once stood. The man to the left is a plantation slave; though chained, his spirit is not broken. He plants the seeds that will someday grow into beautiful trees. He plants a yearning for freedom in the generations that come after him. The left side of the painting melts into the right, as the tree represents the passage of time from one man to another. The man on the right represents Robert B. Hayling, who lived in this house. In one hand he carries the Civil Rights Act and in the other he holds an orange. In some cultures, oranges represent life and new beginnings. He grasps onto his own life and the bright future that lies ahead--a future he and hundreds of others fought and suffered for.
ENG 202 Connection:
"'It's over...there's nothing you can do to change any of it now...'
...'Why did I even want to come here. You'd think I would have had enough of the past.'
'You probably needed to come for the same reason I did.' He shrugged. 'To try to understand. To touch solid evidence that those people existed. To reassure yourself that you're sane.'"
-Octavia Butler, Kindred (p. 264)
Like Dana, I found that there is something powerful about being in a physical space where history happened. You can read about historical events, but nothing compares to seeing, touching, and experiencing those locations for yourself. This physical experience reassures you that those stories read about really happened. It gives life to history and gives you a deeper connection to the past.
No comments:
Post a Comment