The number of historically significant Black communities in the United States has decreased, and efforts to protect what is still there face difficult obstacles.
The former slaves who formed the incorporated communities frequently had their own stores, churches, schools, and economic structures. Modified local rules, unequal tax rates, housing devaluations, and political disputes that expose communities to developers and widespread gentrification are some of the factors contributing to the decline in these settlements.
Less than 30 historic Black towns are thought to remain, according to researchers, when there were over 1,200 at their height approximately a century ago. Some enclaves establish a solution that allows the historical legacy to survive, while others resist outside forces attempting to reuse the property.
Eatonville, founded in 1887 in Florida, was one of the first Black municipalities in the United States to be incorporated and have its own government. Situated just 39 kilometers (24 miles) north of Disney World, the main obstacle facing the community today is the Orange County Public School Board, which owns 40 hectares (100 acres) of land in the center of town.
Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School, a school for Black students founded in 1897, originally stood on this property. It was acquired by Orange County Public Schools in 1951.
Following objections from locals, a private developer with plans to erect retail, office, and residential space on the property ended a sales agreement with the district in March.
In a statement released in March, the school system declared that it would not be considering any more offers for the property. To protect the property for use in education, the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community filed a lawsuit against the school system.
NY Nathiri, a third-generation Eatonville native and the association’s founder, stated, “There are four things that have kept Eatonville: its faith, its family, its education, and its civic pride.”
Nathiri beams as she recalls her perfect upbringing and her family’s history in the community, which includes her grandfather’s arrival there at the start of the Great Depression and her aunts’ strong friendship with novelist Zora Neale Hurston.
Descendants of the community work to boost its economy and preserve the local heritage and culture, put on display at the town’s annual ZORA! Festival.