Black America: Orlando illuminates the lives and accomplishments of African Americans in one of Central Florida's largest cities. Images from the late 1800s to the mid-1980s depict schools, churches, businesses, housing developments, prominent homes, celebrations, and significant personalities in Orlando's black community. This volume guides readers through more than 150 years of remarkable history.
Author Geraldine Fortenberry Thompson has compiled a visual retrospective that takes readers on a journey from a rural, agricultural community where racial segregation was strictly observed to a point where African Americans broke barriers and began to actively participate in civic affairs in Central Florida. Thompson is the Founding President of the Association to Preserve African American Society, History and Tradition, Inc. (PAST), which operates the Wells' Built Museum of African American History and Culture located in the former historic Wells' Built Hotel.