General African American History

The African American General History Collection contains resources that span over 150 years of African American life in Florida, and in Tampa specifically. This collection includes oral history recordings and transcripts, interviews, photographs, newspaper clippings, biographical and historical essays, and correspondence. From Reconstruction to segregation to the Civil Rights movement, this collection houses materials on religion and social life, customs and celebrations, civil rights and legal statuses, language and literature, education, folklore, music, and song. Of particular interest are the personal stories of African American life presented in the oral histories and interviews of the Otis R. Anthony collection (1977-2009), the Florida Negro papers (1936-1948), and Narratives of Formerly Enslaved Floridians. 

General African American History Collections

African American Experience in the US digital collection

 980 300 Tomaro Taylor

The African American Experience in the US (AAEUS) digital collection acts as a survey of Digital Commons @ University of South Florida content relating to the experience of African Americans in the United Sates. The collection is not discipline specific; materials cover a broad range of academic subjects and research interests and include direct, open access to journal articles, theses, and dissertations on this subject. Dates: 1979-2020 Click here to access the African American Experience…

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Al Hackett papers

 407 342 Tomaro Taylor

The Al Hackett papers consist of assorted documents collected or produced by Al Hackett on the topics of Florida wildlife, historic sites, and tourism.

Dates: 1961-1980
Extent: 1 box

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Armwood Family papers

 1024 813 Tomaro Taylor

The Armwood Family papers consist of professional and personal documents of historical significance regarding the prominent Tampa family.

Dates: 1866 – 1991
Extent: 15.5 linear feet (14 boxes)

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Photo of Ernest Ponder

Ernest Ayer Ponder collection

 914 1024 Tomaro Taylor

Ernest Ponder was a teacher at Gibbs High School (St. Petersburg, FL) between 1945 and 1969. This collection, donated by Ponder’s wife Clara M. Ponder, includes family documents, articles, speeches, and publications produced by Pinellas County Schools.

Dates: ca. 1950s-1990s
Extent: 2 boxes, 1 scrapbook, and 1 folder of oversized materials

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An excerpt from the Florida Negro Papers

Federal Writer’s Project collection

 600 776 Tomaro Taylor

The bulk of the materials, which cover a variety of topics, consists of interviews with African American, Native American, and Hispanic residents of Florida. The first-hand accounts provided by formerly enslaved individuals offer a glimpse into Southern daily life during the Civil War era.

Dates: 1936 – 1948
Extent: 4.5 linear feet (9 boxes)

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Pedestrians on Franklin Street in Downtown Tampa, 1922

Jack B. Moore papers

 700 569 Tomaro Taylor

As a professor and researcher, Moore’s four-decade career at USF included emphases on African American studies, American literature, popular culture, photography, and baseball.

Dates: 1922-1993
Extent: 16 boxes

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Cover of the Florida Black Heritage Trail

Norman E. Jones, Jr. Black Heritage collection

 600 798 Tomaro Taylor

The materials in this collection document and describe African American historic sites in the United States and Canada.

Dates: 1960-2000
Extent: 5 boxes

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Racism in Florida collection

 407 342 Tomaro Taylor

This collection contains audio recordings and transcripts of interviews by Suzanne Robb with members of the United Klans of America and the Aryan Youth Movement.

Dates: 1979, 1988
Extent: 1 box

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Snow Family papers

 407 342 Tomaro Taylor

The contents of the collection include correspondence, financial records, and business records dating from 1826 to 1873, and include original transaction records for the sale of enslaved people.

Dates: 1826-1873
Extent: 1 linear ft. (2 boxes)

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