“Can’t Ban Us Day of Action, Black History Teach-Ins in Florida and Beyond”
On February 23, 2023, UF’s Marston Science Library hosted a teach-in titled “Can’t Ban Us Day of Action, Black History Teach-Ins in Florida and Beyond.” The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program sponsored and ran the event, attracting over a hundred students, staff, and faculty. The event highlighted the exciting growth of George A. Smathers Libraries’ resources on Black studies and African American history. SPOHP’s collections include the award-winning Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History and the Mississippi Freedom Project. The teach-in featured interactive activities, a free book raffle, and presentations on how to access Black studies online using Smathers Libraries’ website. However, the most compelling aspect of the event was the candid dialogues between faculty and students. Alyssa Cole, Sharon Austin, Hazel Levy, Paul Ortiz, Kenn Nunn, and Aida Hozic testified on the impact of Black Studies on their lives, and how Florida House Bill 999/SB 266 raises concerns due to its potential to introduce censorship and government control in higher education. It prohibits fields of study related to race and gender studies. This would negatively impact Florida schools, the university, and students of all backgrounds. Additionally, an open mic gave people on campus a space to air how these laws affect them.
“… A resource like the Equal Access Clinic that provides low to no cost healthcare is life-changing. It breaks barriers to transition and quite literally saves lives. But the DeSantis administration’s attacks on gender-affirming care, and his recommended budget that seeks to prohibit the use of state funds for gender-affirming care or abortion would rip access to necessary healthcare away from countless trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming folks- and this would have a disproportionate impact on low-income trans people that rely on university health systems for reliable care, and who have already been stripped away by Medicaid…”
– Alex, Open Mic Presenter
A state-wide school walkout protesting bans on diversity studies was occurring simultaneously with our teach-in. Our program sent people outside to interview people about their reasons for protesting.
“I am a first-generation college student and something that inspired me to pursue a higher education was built on the foundation of an inclusive academic environment. And now that that is being stripped away from me because Ron DeSantis wants to ban diversity, inclusion, and equity programs at our university and other universities across Florida, I feel it is my purpose and my responsibility to use my voice as a platform to make change…”
– Connor, Student Protester
For hours, SPOHP staff provided support from the office; operated social media livestreams, audio equipment, and camera gear; presented to crowds of riled-up students; and toted supplies across campus. Still, SPOHP had no shortage of dedicated UF affiliates supporting our program. That’s how passionate the SPOHP community is about these issues.
Article of Teach-in:
UF students and faculty hold ‘Can’t Ban Us’ teach-in about Black history, NPR-WUFT
Challenging Racism at UF: Teach-in Resources
Podcast
Challenging Racism at UF series episode 1: Father Connelly, Anthony Goins, UF vs Boston Game >
This episode delves into the remarkable strides undertaken by the University of Florida in its endeavor to confront and counteract racism. In this installment, our podcast series undertakes the important mission of illuminating the beginnings of UF’s history, shedding an incisive light on the pervasive legacy of exclusion and racism that has cast its shadow on the university campus and its surroundings.
This episode embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the nascent origins of the University of Florida and the transformative ramifications brought about by several legislative acts, such as the Morrill Land-Grant College Act and the Buckman Act of 1905. Our narrative takes us through the tumultuous chronicles of the Jim Crow era. We begin by discussing the killing of Anthony Goins in 1917 at the UF dormitories. We then focus on the power of the Ku Klux Klan and its ideology of hatred through the chilling incident in the early 1920s — the abduction and mutilation of Catholic priest Father John Connelly — an episode that underscores the profound challenges faced by marginalized communities during that period.
The narrative then shifts to a pivotal moment in sports history, recounting the Florida vs. Boston College Football Game, marked by the unjust sidelining of star running-back Lou Montgomery. This episode serves as a testament to the persistent prejudices even within the realm of sports.
Ultimately, our podcast aspires to serve as a resonant platform, amplifying the narratives that have regrettably been marginalized for far too long. By unearthing the often-overlooked stories of minority communities at the University of Florida, throughout the state, and across the nation, we hope to foster a deeper understanding of our shared history and pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable future. Join us on this illuminating journey as we confront the past to shape a more just tomorrow.
Challenging Racism at UF series episode 2: Task force Report Adreanne Martinez >
On episode two of the Challenging Racism SPOHPcast, we talk with Adreanne Martinez about UF’s legacy of slavery, Indigenous land dispossession, and incarcerated labor. Adreanne is a proud double Gator and a vehement student activist. On this episode we talk about the activism that led to an official report on African American and Native American history at the University of Florida which she co-authored. Listen while we talk with her about that report and her experience in helping to write it. We also discuss how minority student enrollment and alumni engagement are affected by not acknowledging this legacy of racism.
UF Student and Alumni Interviews on Challenging Racism at UF
Dr. Genesis Lara
In the following interview, Genesis Lara candidly recounts her enriching experiences during her tenure at the University of Florida (UF), particularly within the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP). Renowned as the visionary behind the creation of the SPOHP Latinx Diaspora in the Americas collection, Lara delves into her remarkable journey of advocating for ethnic studies within the academic landscape of UF.
With an insightful perspective, Lara underscores the unifying power of the Latinx community, which transcended boundaries to rally behind diverse causes. Whether through extending aid to undocumented laborers or utilizing spaces such as La Casita or the Institute of Black Culture to cultivate solidarity, the Latinx community exhibited a palpable spirit of collaboration and mutual support. Lara’s pivotal role as a bridge-builder comes to light as she recounts her efforts to facilitate the integration of the Latinx community within the vibrant tapestry of UF. Her endeavors underscore the significance of advocating for ethnic studies and nurturing platforms that celebrate and amplify marginalized voices. The interview with Lara stands as a testament to her invaluable contributions and the enduring impact of her visionary initiatives at UF and within the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program.
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Adreanne Martinez
In this interview, SPOHP researchers Adolfho Romero, Gabrielle Hurd, and Ronan Hart sat down with UF alumna and law student Adreanne Martinez to discuss her role in the Presidential Taskforce Report. During her undergraduate studies at UF, Martinez and other students worked under Jon Sensbach to conduct research on the history of UF. Martinez looked into one of UF’s predecessor institutions, the East Florida Seminary. From its founding, this institution was closely tied to slave-holding families in the region, and continued to be a bastion of Confederate tradition after the Civil War. Martinez combined this research with research from another project, her final in Lauren Pearlman’s Black Lives Matter class, to write her senior thesis on the movement of universities looking into their histories of racism and slavery. In June 2020, she presented a resolution to UF’s student government, calling on UF to assemble a working group to study its historical relationship to racial injustice. After this resolution was unanimously passed, President Kent Fuchs created a taskforce to study UF’s relationship to slavery and Native American land appropriation. Martinez discusses the experience of working on the report, and her specific area of study. She expresses frustration with the unceremonious reception of the completed report by UF. She goes on to talk about presenting the report at a conference at UVA, and what she has been up to since.
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Kenneth E. Sassaman
Ronan Hart and Adolfho Romero sat down with Kenneth Sassaman to discuss his role in the creation of the Presidential Taskforce Report. Sassaman is an anthropology professor who specializes in the archaeology of the Southeastern United States. Due to his familiarity with Native American history and the current issues surrounding the relationship between Native Americans and the academy, he was selected to write about those subjects for the report. Sassaman talks about UF’s history as a land grant institution, and how the school was therefore based on the expropriation of Native American lands in the West. He talks about ways for UF to correct this wrong, including a proposal he wrote up to allocate scholarships to Native American students. He also proposes a comprehensive archaeological survey of UF’s campus in order to better understand the Native people who occupied the land previously.
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Jon Sensbach
Ronan Hart and Adolfho Romero sat down with Jon Sensbach to discuss his role in the Presidential Taskforce Report. Sensbach is a professor of early America and the Caribbean. He taught an undergraduate research seminar where he directed his students, including Adreanne Martinez, to look into UF’s history with slavery and racism. He provides an overview of UF’s early history, from the expropriation of Seminole and Timucuan land, its sale to slaveholders, the establishment of the East Florida Seminary, and that institution’s connection to slavery. Sensbach discusses other universities that provided different forms of reparations to the descendants of enslaved people. He talks about the potential difficulties of UF following a similar path.
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Zines
UF History Timeline
The subsequent chronology has been meticulously curated by the dedicated personnel of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP), in close collaboration with esteemed alumni, present students, and faculty members. The fundamental purpose of this timeline is to provide an insightful exploration into the historical trajectory of the University of Florida (UF) as it grapples with combating racism. Through the strategic emphasis on notable accomplishments by diverse racial groups, this timeline serves as a distinctive lens through which to understand the multifaceted evolution of UF. In effect, this timeline stands as a tribute to the abiding dedication of the SPOHP in fostering an insightful narrative that weaves together the threads of history, activism, and progress.
A People’s History of Gainesville Timeline >
This timeline developed as a collaboration between the Cultural Arts Coalition (CAC) and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program’s (SPOHP) students, staff, and faculty researchers. The project was coordinated and sponsored by the CAC and the City of Gainesville.
I Never Will Forget – Memories from Mississippi Freedom Summer >
For years, the University of Florida Samuel Proctor Oral History Program traveled to Sunflower County, Mississippi, to gather interviews with communities including civil rights activists, veterans, organizations, lawyers, organizers, and many more! These are their stories.
Civil Rights Attorney John Due: An Oral History Series >
This volume was compiled by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program to commemorate the life and work of Attorney and John Dorsey Due and his family, in celebration of his 80th birthday. During Freedom Summer, Due served as an attorney in Mississippi, representing the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to oversee instances of violence against civil rights activists. In his capacity as legal counsel for the Congress of Racial Equality, he played a key role in innovating the strategy of relocating civil rights lawsuits to federal courts, thereby circumventing the inherent biases of southern state courts. Additionally, he undertook the organization of sanitation workers and various labor unions, aiming to combat poverty through collective efforts.
The Challenging Racism Series would not have been possible without the support of the following sponsors: Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, Bob Graham Center for Public Service, the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, African American Studies, Black Student Union, George A. Smathers libraries, The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, Inc., Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, UF Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., All Y’all Social Justice Collective, Putnam Alliance for Equity and Justice, and Engage Florida.