Celebrate Black History Month with the Family Heritage House
Bradenton, Fla. Feb. 9, 2023
Join the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) college community to celebrate Black History Month by visiting the treasured African American gallery and resource center at the Family Heritage House Museum in the Library & Learning Center at SCF Bradenton, 5840 26th St. W., Building 3. Admission is free and open to the public.
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The museum curates a collection of artifacts, literature and displays reflecting the history and experiences of African Americans in Manatee County, Florida, and surrounding areas. The husband-and-wife duo, late Ernest L. Brown Jr. and Fredi Sears Brown, began collecting a series of news clippings, photographs, documents and books when they were living in Detroit to document and preserve the living history they were experiencing.
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Their collection grew to a hybrid library-museum after moving to Bradenton in the 1970s. A decade after they opened the first Heritage House in a trailer behind a Head Start office in Bradenton in 1990, the Browns opened the doors of their new museum building at Manatee Community College, now SCF, ensuring a non-circulating collection was available to anyone for browsing, studying and researching. With the help of SCF presidents, the Browns maintained its focus on educating the youth.
Among the special celebrations the Family Heritage House has for Black History Month 2023:
- Providing a display at the 26th Street Manatee Public Library on famous African Americans.
- Presenting at the Joint Council of Librarians of Color National Conference on the unique partnership between the Family Heritage House and SCF
- Providing a virtual tour for the Hillsborough Library
- Providing a virtual tour for the SCF Venice Campus Student Government Association
- Updating the Robert Smalls exhibit, with a replica of the C.S.S. Planter
Museum Specialist Kathie Marsh shared a sentiment from the late Fredi Sears Brown, which speaks to that focus. “Part of our mission at Family Heritage House Museum is to inspire children to have a respect for their ancestors, a love for learning and a passion for service.”
During Black History Month visitation is higher, for tours or off hours appoints please contact Kathie Marsh, 941-752- 5319 or MarshK@SCF.edu.