We’re taking the show on the road to Punta Gorda in Charlotte County in order to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We’re at the The Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture of Charlotte County, which is a site along the Florida Black Heritage Trail.
We’re joined by the museum’s director, Dr. Martha Bireda, and Jaha Cummings, he’s a current Punta Gorda City council member and the son of Dr. Bireda, to discuss the rich African American history in Charlotte County.
We’ll also pay a visit to Manatee Mineral Spring Park which has been the subject of a multi-decade study searching for remnants of a community called Angola. It was a settlement and community of escaped slaves who came to the area because it was still Spanish territory where slavery what not legal. Click here for additional information about Angola.