The Punta Gorda Book of Values - Softcover

Bireda, Martha; Cummings, Jaha

Softcover

ISBN 10: 4902837315 ISBN 13: 9784902837315

Publisher: Blue Ocean Press, 2023

Synopsis

Punta Gorda has been described as "the little town that unity built". It has been characterized as having a "unique sociology" due to its biracial settlement and development. Built by its founders on the principles of mutual respect and shared prosperity, Punta Gorda's history serves as a model for our country in demonstrating the power of societal unity.

Punta Gorda was founded by both black and white pioneers despite Florida's Jim Crow laws. Together they created a society where all members of their community could thrive. This book is the story of the values that sustained Punta Gorda's early African American pioneers.

The traditional values held by the African American pioneers that settled Punta Gorda enabled the community to survive and thrive. These values that were passed generation to generation from 1885 to the late 1960's, were learned by one of the authors herself as a girl growing up in Punta Gorda, Florida, and passed down to her son, the co-author of this book.

Using old photographs and newspaper articles, the 8 core values learned by the children of Punta Gorda are shared with young readers aged 8 to 13. The values taught in Punta Gorda were typical of those held by the descendants of enslaved people who established communities after the turn of the century. This book provides youth with an opportunity to seek and utilize primary sources to gain a window into the past, while helping them develop their critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

About this title

About the Authors

Martha Bireda, Ph.D. is the President of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History of Charlotte County, and is a fourth-generation Punta Gordian.

Jaha Cummings served on the Punta Gorda City Council for three terms. He is the founder of Blanchard House Institute, an expansion of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture of Charlotte County. The Black Wall Street Trail is a national public-private initiative to revitalize 200+ historic African American business districts that were affected by Urban Renewal is an asset based community development project designed to support the efforts of local elected officials to reinvigorate their communities. Black Wall Street Trail celebrates the legacy of the golden age of historic African American business districts as a model for creating prosperity for all Americans.

Edition details

• Publisher: Blue Ocean Press
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 4902837315
• ISBN 13: 9784902837315
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 120