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Feedback, Support Are Gratifying

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 23, 2007

I am not a journalist or a historian. I'm just someone who enjoys learning about the past. I've tried to make this column a beacon of light that reminds us of our past and points to the possibilities of the future.

In the past two years, the aim of this column has been to instruct, inform and, most importantly, to document the life experiences of blacks in Pasco County. A handful of individuals have told me they collect the articles to pass them along to their grandchildren.

Occasionally, someone questions something in a column. All feedback is welcome, though.

People seem to feel a connection to the stories, especially the ones with pictures. The old-school pictures have been some of the most popular. I am amazed at how hard readers study the pictures.

A few of these stories have floated around the community for years - maybe just as old photos. I'm happy to have added background and context to them.

The education stories are always good ones. The story about Moore Academy's 1938 men's basketball team was one for which I received a lot of positive feedback. As you could see from the photo, some of the guys clearly were in their 20s. The photo also showed the team's young coach, Christine Mickens, wife of renowned educator Odell Kingston Mickens.

The story about Etta Burt and Moore Academy's seventh- and eighth-grade classes of 1937 was another popular story. The Spellman College graduate was one of the first certified teachers in the county and a lesser-known black administrator in the early years.

Then there was the story about University of South Florida professor Charles Arnade and the birth of the Pasco County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in the late '60s. People had forgotten how active the branch had been at one time. Arnade led the fight to end segregation in Pasco. Many readers were surprised to learn he's white.

Remembering A Supporter, Friend

One of the column's dearest supporters, Lillian Arnold Calhoun, said goodbye this year. She was the person I was referred to for assistance on several stories. Lillian contributed to my first story, on the Harper-Mickens subdivision, the Etta Burt story and most of the stories about education. I can remember her telling me about the prisoner-of-war camp where Naomi Jones Park is today. I would go back to her time and time again for consultation. She shared photographs and connected me to Peter Foster Burt, Etta's son.

She meant more than that to me. When she was physically able, she celebrated Kwanzaa in cultural attire that she designed and made at my home with my family and friends. As the African American Heritage Society of East Pasco County evolved, she made the organization's red, black and green flag. She was not ashamed to express her heritage. She was a lady of enormous cultural pride.

As a member of Moore Academy's Class of 1940, Calhoun received one of the first three high school diplomas issued by the Pasco County School Board to black students. Her classmate Lilia Roach also died this year. They were both 89.

Looking Forward To The New Year

This was a year of personal achievement, too. One of Pasco County's favorite sons, James "Mudcat" Grant, co-authored "The Black Aces: Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners." Aside from contributing to baseball history, the book provides significant information about Lacoochee's history. Mudcat continues to serve as an ambassador for Pasco County.

Good writing should not only inform and document; it should inspire and empower readers into action. This column has done a little bit of that, too. Readers have offered suggestions for stories. That's how the story about Julius "Swampfire" Grant, Floyd Academy and H. T. Kealings came about. A writer couldn't ask for more from his readers.

As we reflect and contemplate the past, I am looking forward to more good stories in the new year. I wish everyone a season of peace, love and happiness. Happy New Year.

Imani Asukile, a Hernando County native, is a longtime Dade City resident and one of the founders of the African American Heritage Society of East Pasco County. His column appears every other Friday. To suggest a future column, e-mail him at idasukile@yah

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