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>> JOURNEY IS ONE OF THE MOST
AMBITIOUS STORIES THAT WE'VE
EVER TOLD, COVERING 450 YEARS OF
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY, IN
FACT AMERICAN HISTORY AT THAT.
>> 450 YEARS OF THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IS A
STORY THAT REALLY SHOULD BE TOLD
BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY PARALLELS
THE 450 YEARS OF THE EXISTENCE
OF ST. AUGUSTINE.
AFRICAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS
WERE A PART OF THAT HISTORY OVER
THAT PERIOD OF TIME, AND IT IS A
PART OF THE STORY THAT HAD TO
THIS TIME NOT BEEN TOLD.
>> WE DIVIDED IT IN QUADRANTS
THAT REPRESENT SOME OF THE MORE
IMPORTANT EPISODES OR CHAPTERS
OF AMERICAN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN
HISTORY INCLUDING GENESIS, THE
GENESIS OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
EXPERIENCE, WHICH INCLUDES
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS THAT FOR THE
FIRST TIME ARE BEING SEEN BY THE
PUBLIC, 1595 BAPTISMAL RECORD,
EVIDENCE OF THE FIRST KNOWN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILD BORN IN
THE UNITED STATES.
IT HAPPENED HERE.
THE SECOND QUADRANT IS FORTRESS
OF FREEDOM, THE FIRST FREED
BLACK SETTLEMENT IN THE
CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.
VERY IMPORTANT.
IT IS A STONE'S THROW FROM HERE.
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION,
BREAKING THE CHAINS, IS THE
THIRD QUADRANT.
THE EMANCIPAE
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION WAS
READ HERE BEFORE IT WAS
OFFICIALLY RELEASED BY CONGRESS.
SO TOGETHER AND IN BETWEEN WE
HAVE STORIES OF PRINCIPLE
CHARACTERS, OBJECTS, RARE
PHOTOGRAPHS, PAINTINGS, JUST
ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD
AMASS TO TELL THE STORY OF THIS
IMPORTANT CULTURAL THREAD.
>> WELL, THE WOOLWORTH COUNTER
IS ONE OF THE POINTS IN WHICH
THE ATTEMPT TO INTEGRATE PUBLIC
ACCOMMODATIONS TOOK PLACE IN
ST. AUGUSTINE.
THIS IS THE ACTUAL COUNTER, THE
ACTUAL SEATS, AND WHAT'S
PORTRAYED HERE IS FOUR
INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE YOUNG
PEOPLE AT THE TIME, AND WE CALL
THEM THE ST. AUGUSTINE FOUR
BECAUSE THEY WERE ARRESTED,
TAKEN BEFORE A JUDGE, AND THE
JUDGE ACTUALLY SENTENCED THEM TO
REFORM SCHOOL.
WE CALLED THEM THE ST. AUGUSTINE
FOUR NOW, BUT AT THAT TIME THEY
WERE JUST STANDING UP FOR THEIR
RIGHTS BECAUSE THEY FELT LIKE IF
THEY DIDN'T DO IT, WHO WOULD.
THEY ACTUALLY PAID A STEEP PRICE
FOR WHAT THEY DID, BUT I THINK
IT KIND OF OPENED THE EYES OF A
LOT OF FOLKS, ESPECIALLY IN
ST. AUGUSTINE.
>> THE FORT WAS A STORY, IT WAS
BUILT AROUND PEOPLE WHO SOUGHT
FREEDOM HERE, AND THE
ST. AUGUSTINE FORT WAS A BEACON
TO THAT FREEDOM.
ULTIMATELY IT BECAME A STORY OF
FREEDOM AS OPPOSED TO A STORY OF
SLAVERY, AND ESSENTIALLY WE TALK
A GREAT DEAL ABOUT SPANISH
HISTORY HERE IN ST. AUGUSTINE,
AND IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE
BATTLE AT FORT MOSE THAT TOOK
PLACE IN 1740 WAS ACTUALLY THE
HIGH WATER MARK OF THE SPANISH
RULE HERE.
SO I FELT THAT THE STORY SHOULD
BE MORE WIDELY KNOWN BECAUSE OF
THE HEROISM AND BRAVERY SHOWN BY
THE PEOPLE DURING THAT TIME.
>> WE TEND TO THINK THAT THE
CIVIL RIGHTS PERIOD WAS ALL
THERE WAS TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN
HISTORY, BUT, YOU KNOW, LIVING
IN ST. AUGUSTINE YOU GET A
PERSPECTIVE OF HISTORY THAT GOES
BACK 450 YEARS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF HISTORY IN
ST. AUGUSTINE, AND THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO TELL,
YOU KNOW, THE STORY ABOUT
BECAUSE A LOT OF KIDS DON'T
REALLY KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE ROLE
THAT WAS PLAYED BY AFRICAN AND
AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE
FOUNDING OF ST. AUGUSTINE AND
FLORIDA AND THE UNITED STATES.
>> MY HOPE IS THAT ALL VISITORS
UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS OUR
HISTORY.
SO TOGETHER, COLLECTIVELY WE ARE
CELEBRATING NOT ONLY THE BIRTH
OF THE AMERICAN CULTURE HERE IN
ST. AUGUSTINE BUT WHAT DEFINES
US AS A NATION, THE CULTURAL
DIVERSITY, THIS MULTI-CULTURAL
CHARACTER THAT HAS DEFINED US
FOR CENTURIES AND HAS ALSO
BROUGHT US TOGETHER AT MANY
IMPORTANT LEVELS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HOPING PEOPLE
WILL SEE HERE.
WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE THE
INTERPRETATION THAT THEY WILL
LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, "WOW,
THAT'S MY HISTORY, I DIDN'T
REALIZE THAT THOSE PEOPLES WERE
A PART OF MY HISTORY."
AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ARE
ALL SHARING FOUR-AND-A-HALF