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Harlem Of The South Series Release
July 20th, 2010 - Jacksonville, FL
UNVEILING OF THE THE HARLEM OF THE SOUTH SERIES
MEDIA ADVISORY
REQUESTING MEDIA COVERAGE TOMORROW
AT 11:00A.M. AT THE DOWNTOWN LANDING ADRIAN PICKETT’S GALLERY
June 24, 2010-Jacksonville, FL- The unveiling of The Harlem of the South Series. This artwork captures the heritage of Jacksonville, Florida when Jacksonville was known as the Harlem of the South. There is a rich heritage of African American entrepreneurship in Jacksonville, FL. In the early 1900s its population was as much as 60% black. It was home to one of the most vibrant landscapes for African American business in U.S. history. Known for its jazz era district there were a wide range of businesses including bars, taverns, nightclubs, barbershops, and cultural outposts. Those activities created both jobs and a way of life that was characterized as successful by Dr Booker T. Washington who frequented the area.
During the early 1900s, instead of chambers of commerce, there was the National Negro Business League. The contributions of Jacksonville residents to the league were many:
• Two founding members and Jacksonville residents:
A.L. Lewis (Florida's first black millionaire and founder of Florida's first life insurance company)
Eartha M.M. White (Jacksonville's most famous humanitarian)
• 1900 Brief Directory of Colored Business Men of the City of Jacksonville, Fla. August,
J. Douglas Wetmore, Jacksonville, Florida.
• 1901 Jacksonville Business and Professional Men's League. Martin Ferguson,
Jacksonville, Florida.
• 1902 General Merchandise [Dry Goods], Stansbury Boyce, Jacksonville, Florida
• 1904 The Growth of the Banking Idea. S. H. Hart, Jacksonville, Florida
• 1904 Building of a Street Railway Line. R. R. Robinson, Jacksonville, Florida
• 1906 The Fish Business. Charles H. Anderson, Jacksonville, Florida
• 1912 Developing Industrial Insurance. J. H. Phillips, Montgomery, Alabama; A. L. Lewis,
Jacksonville, Florida. (Sources: Hamilton/Lester)
Today, Jacksonville, Florida is known as one of the most diverse cities in America. But there is a story that should be retold to every resident and every visitor of Florida's First Coast. Dr. Robinson, President of The First Coast African American Chamber believes that it is best told through the eyes of cultural artists who are able to communicate the story with a passion and vision that can be captured and shared.
Featured artist: Adrian Pickett is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. He is an artist that exemplifies the Harlem of the South at its core. He is a talented self-taught artist with a passion for expression. He is an artist that feels a duty to show and demonstrate his talent through expression and without reservation on subjects with attention to life in people, through his eyes.
This is going to be a first in a series of restoring Jacksonville’s African American entreprenurial spririt into prominence.
Antoine Mickle
TWAIS Agency
Off-904-765-7620 ext. 14
Cell-904-813-1670
Antoine@twaisagency.com