Cattle ranching in Florida dates back to the 1500’s when early Spanish explorers brought livestock to the Peninsula.
When you think of Black History in Florida you may not think of African American cowboys on horseback or cattlemen herding and raising cattle.
But for cattle rancher Huey Howard, he knew he wanted to be a part of the booming industry when he moved from Mississippi to Immokalee in 1953.
He’s now recognized as the first Black large cattle rancher in Southwest Florida. Howard and his late wife, Dorcas, began raising dairy cattle. But switched to beef cows. With the help of his family, Howard has been able to grow and sustain his large cattle business to what it is today, with about seven thousand acres and more than 700 cows.
The city of Immokalee recently named a street to honor his legacy…Eustis Avenue is now ‘Howard Way’.
He’s recognized as one of Florida’s and the South’s first Black millionaire.
Dana Albert Dorsey arrived in Miami in 1896 from Georgia. He worked in carpentry, agriculture and the railroad. With the money he earned, he bought land and built wealth.
He saw the need to provide housing for black workers. So, he purchased one parcel of land in Overtown at a time, where he designed and constructed one rental house per parcel, reinvesting the rental income to build more and rent more.
He owned the first black-owned hotel in Miami, the Dorsey Hotel and established the Negro Savings Bank.
Dorsey also bought Fisher Island to provide a beach and resort for African Americans. However, after nearly two years he was pressured to sell the 21 acre property to a white developer after owning it for less than two years.
Today, the island is one of the world’s wealthiest zip codes in the world, accessible only by ferry, boat or helicopter.
Over the years, Dorsey used his wealth, and donated land and buildings, for the betterment of Miami's Black population.
African-American midwives and doulas have guided child birth in the United States since the 17th century.
In the 1930s, midwives were trained by The Florida Health Department to care for families who didn’t have access to medical care due to poverty or segregation.
Black mothers in particular couldn’t go to hospitals to give birth due to segregation.
Mayola Wells Diggs was Fort Myer’s first Black midwife. She delivered more than 5,000 babies in her 47 year career. Born in Punta Gorda in 1909, Diggs moved to Lee County and started as a midwife in 1937. She was the oldest midwife in Florida when she retired in 1973.
Diggs was often seen in the Lee Memorial Hospital emergency room, where she took patients with problem deliveries. Doctors and medical staff respected her deep knowledge and expertise.
Bunche Beach Preserve in Fort Myers is a popular destination for beachgoers, fisherman, and nature lovers.
However, its history and the name marks a time when things were much different. During segregation, a one-acre parcel of this beach in Lee County was the only beach where Blacks were allowed to swim without getting arrested.
In 1949, thousands attended the dedication ceremony for the beach. It was named after Dr. Ralph Bunche, a political scientist, diplomat and a hero for justice.
Bunche was a mediator for the United Nations and was famous for negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and the Arab Nations in 1950. As a result, Dr. Bunche was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Following desegregation in the late 1960s, public spaces were integrated in Lee County, including the county’s beaches and parks.
Today, several recreation activities can be enjoyed at the preserve, including swimming, fishing, kayaking and birdwatching.
Sir Lancelot Garfield Jones was born in 1898 on a sailboat in Biscayne Bay. His father Israel "Parson" Jones frantically sailed his pregnant wife to a Miami hospital.
Sir Lancelot and his brother King Author grew up on Porgy Key, an island owned by the Jones Family. They are believed to be the first Black Americans born on Key Biscayne.
They were the first black landowners in the Keys. At one point they were the largest producer of key limes and pineapples on the East Coast of Florida and the largest key lime producer in the state.
As a master navigator and fishing guide, Sir Lancelot served U.S. Presidents like Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.
In 1970, Lancelot and his sister-in-law sold a share of the island to the National Park Service. The Jones Family Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes the former home and farm of Israel Lafayette Jones and his family on Porgy and Totten Keys.
October 13th is designated as Sir Lancelot Jones Day in Florida.
Lancelot passed away in 1997 at 99. Today, the seven-mile entrance to the Biscayne National Park is called Sir Lancelot Jones Way.
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