Collections in this subject area describe the everyday lives of Tampa’s African American community as described in printed materials. Whereas the Florida Sentinel Bulletin and Weekly Challenger primarily covered news items and information of public interest, B. P. Brown Enterprises and DuPree Press documented many of Tampa Bay’s black organizations through such printed ephemera as souvenir books, church programs, pageant programs, newsletters, and funeral programs.
The B.P. Brown Enterprises collection documents the history of African American families and churches in Tampa, Florida as represented through publications produced by the printing company.
Dates: 1984 – 1994
Extent: 12 linear feet (21 boxes)
The DuPree Press collection consists of brochures, announcements, catalogs, and other publications printed by the DuPree Press for Black and African American organizations in the Tampa Bay area.
Dates: 1958-1994
Extent: 2 linear feet (5 boxes)
Published since 1945, the Florida Sentinel Bulletin provides a unique perspective of the Black community’s history and highlights the social, political, cultural, and religious activities of African Americans in Tampa.
Dates: 1971-2018
Special Collections holds incomplete runs from 1971-2008; holdings from 1946-1970 are available on microfilm. Digital copies of the newspaper from 2007- 2010 can be found here.
The Jackson Rooming House in downtown Tampa, Florida is the last of an era of homes used as segregated boarding structures for African Americans before the 1965 Civil Rights Act. The house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed in stages from circa 1901 to 1920. USF Libraries Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections, in partnership with the Tampa Bay History Center, created this 3D pointcloud for joint digital preservation and exhibition efforts.
The Weekly Challenger has documented the history of St. Petersburg’s African American community since the newspaper was established by Cleveland Johnson, Jr. in September 1967.
Dates: 1973-2020
The Weekly Challenger has documented the history of St. Petersburg’s African American community since the newspaper was established by Cleveland Johnson, Jr. in September 1967.
