Let Us March On: LaVilla, Florida, and the History of the Harlem of the South
Subject Area
History
Description
Christine Sullivan ’22
Majors: History and American Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alyssa Lopez, History and Classics
Christine Sullivan is a senior honors History and American Studies double major originally from Jacksonville, Florida. She is passionate about sharing stories of community, perseverance, and triumph that are missed in the general historical narrative. Through her project, Let Us March On: LaVilla, Florida, and the History of the Harlem of the South, she hopes to share the stories of artistic brilliance and human bravery from her hometown.
As a Jaxson, Christine fell in love with the scenic beauty of the St. Johns River, the beaches, and of course, the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, Jacksonville the city felt like a mystery; legends forgotten to time and the proliferation of suburban crawl. The traditional conservative political block of the city received all the attention and praise, overlooking the achievements of the black community in Jacksonville. LaVilla, the black neighborhood in downtown Jacksonville, fell victim to this neglect, and has all but vanished from the modern landscape.
Jacksonville, once the only Southern urban center with a majority black population, was home to one of the finest examples of black educational and entrepreneurial success. Through its early growth and successes of civil rights champions such as James Weldon Johnson and Eartha White, LaVilla’s national prominence within the black community allowed it to welcome the greatest black musicians of the era. LaVilla was known nationally as the “Great Black Way”, the first home of the blues, and the black entertainment capital of the South.
Publisher
Providence College
Academic Year
2021-2022
Date
4-26-2022
Type
Presentation
Language
English
