African American Heritage Museum

05/23/2026

https://www.wtsp.com/video/news/local/tampa-bay-areas-destroyed-black-cemeteries-get-renewed-attention-at-usf-conference/67-a459eea3-a2a2-4ba6-96de-508dd0495fd7?fbclid=IwY2xjawR--ulleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeoGJvlwbyRzZBtN7AZjDyFhOvoH8k6wmenHH1SZpWktojE32NzWwHCVbtPBw_aem_ru26rEzHGo8OVfjV9LYrBg

Dr. Antoinette Jackson, USF anthropology chair, founded the group and organized the conference to raise wider awareness of Black cemetery erasure.

05/23/2026

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/special-reports/erased/tampa-bay-destroyed-black-cemeteries-usf-conference-black-cemetery-network-antoinette-jackson-fentrice-driskell/67-407709d4-1a1b-4f23-b46b-604525471da9?fbclid=IwY2xjawR-ogBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeWImlvNk0V7N9POoaEN9RhlMQVg0fBp-LYR6YHkM8MV-WnaJf60M7bMz8oEE_aem_3Hqtosk2TSpFcMzRPPUOkg

"We want to have more people preserving cemeteries, less people having cemeteries erased by highways, schools, parking lots," Dr. Antoinette Jackson said.

05/21/2026

Auburndale Juneteenth observance 06/20/26. Save the date.

05/20/2026

https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2026-05-20/manatee-county-allocates-money-restore-desecrated-black-gravesites?fbclid=IwY2xjawR7AgNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEebIGzXya2f8PzkrBI8X-7SIHe1qvjVQ87SIiWoSb24JpRFOqLVBSVMp3iGVo_aem_8id4_dbzPbNUoHqn7i8Ksg
Good things are happening all over Florida....Manatee County!

Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to allocate $100,000 for the restoration of Old Memphis Cemetery in Palmetto. Last week, 17 gravesites were found vandalized at the historically Black cemetery.

05/19/2026

From the University of South Florida Anthropology Department and The Black CemeteryNetwork:

05/17/2026

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-17/brown-v-board-of-ed-is-decided

The U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial ...

05/01/2026

Did you know......?

This morning we gathered at Union Academy to honor a very important figure from the school’s history: Louise “Lula” Marion Simmons-Longworth. Simmons-Longworth came to Bartow in 1897, and began teaching at a new public school for Black students. She proposed that the school be named for her al...

04/11/2026

Local Legend Celebrated

The City once again will recognize Herbert Dixon Day in Bartow, this year on April 11.

Mr. Dixon, a local golfing legend, was born in 1919 in Dade City, FL, and moved to Bartow at age eight. He has resided here ever since.

His love for golf began six years later at the age of 14, when he took a job as a caddie at the Bartow Golf Course. Young Herbert earned 50 cents per day and occasionally received tips of up to 25 cents.

Although he never received formal training, Mr. Dixon launched his own professional golfing career at the age of 32 and went on to win 63 tournaments. With the support of his sponsors, Dr. Butch and Dr. Roberts, he travelled to competitions across the nation, often accompanied by his friend and fellow professional golfer Richard Lewis, who taught him much about the game.

Mr. Dixon’s professional golf career ended in 1961. His success earned him induction into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. He also received the African American Golfers Hall of Fame Legacy Award in 2012 and was inducted into the West Palm Beach Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2014.

At age 106, Mr. Dixon continues to play amateur golf with great skill, consistently scoring between 70 and 80, with an all-time best tournament score of 63, and he remains an active member of the Sunshine State Amateur Golfers Association, the Executive Par and Birdie Club, and the Bartow Golf Club.

In recognition of his important contributions to the game and the City, in 2020, the City of Bartow dedicated a new driving range at the Bartow Golf Course in his honor, and, in 2023, renamed a portion of Idlewood Avenue South to Herbert Dixon Boulevard.

The Bartow Golf Course also will host the 13th Annual Herbert Dixon Charity Golf Tournament on April 11, starting at 8:30am. Mr. Dixon, accompanied by Carver Young, Representative of the Deacons & Stewards Alliance and members of his family, attended the April 6 Commission meeting to accept a proclamation declaring the day in his honor and promoting the Tournament, the proceeds of which benefit the Bartow Deacons & Stewards Alliance, Inc. Scholarship Fund.

03/28/2026

Things are about to get rolling at the Museum today! Sure hope to see you there!!! Get out there and get JAZZY!

03/25/2026

Thank you City of Bartow! It's a great history isn't it! We hope you all will come out and share the day with us too!!!

March 28 will mark the 2nd Annual Jazz Day Party and Museum Tour Celebration hosted by the Luster African American Heritage Museum, honoring the universal language of music, art, and literature and the enduring legacy of Black musicians and authors who have shaped American culture.

The Blues have a history in Bartow, once resonating from the famed “Blue Room,” which was located above Tom Burnett’s Palm Theater Building at Wabash Avenue and 3rd Street. The vibrant Jim Crow–era venue welcomed celebrated performers including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, B.B. King, and many others who toured the historic “Chitlin’ Circuit."

Bartow served as a key stop for many of these traveling performers on the Circuit thanks to its Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line railroad connections and the nearby Union Depot.

This year’s celebration also honors Black authors, poets, and storytellers—past and present—whose powerful words capture the rhythm of history and the spirit of resilience, including Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes and more contemporary voices.

At the March 16 City Commission meeting, Mayor Tucker proclaimed March 28 as Jazz Party and Museum Tour Day in Bartow and encouraged residents and visitors to honor the artistic legacy of African American artists by joining in the celebration. The proclamation was accepted by Charles Luster, Founder, Luster African American Museum.

03/25/2026

Just a reminder, there's a day of fun, music and literature in your future....come out and enjoy it! Looking forward to seeing you at Luster African American Heritage Museum on Saturday!!!