Sarasota's Leonard Reid House celebrates 100 years as community beacon for African American history
Leonard Reid House brings history to life
A group of children and parrots fluttered about the Leonard Reid House on Thursday in Sarasota. The parrots helped bring history back to life for the next generation. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
SARASOTA, Fla. - A group of children and parrots fluttered about the Leonard Reid house on Thursday in Sarasota. The parrots helped bring history back to life for the next generation.
The Leonard Reid House has stood for 100 years. It's been moved twice, but it's connection to the city's African American history runs deep in the Newtown neighborhood.
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The house now operates as a museum for the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, and as they celebrate its centennial anniversary, they are working to keep history alive.
What they're saying:
Four parrots from Sarasota Jungle Gardens brought awe and amazement to students. For Rose Solomon, they brought her back in time to when she was the children's age.
"It brought back a lot of memories for me. I grew up and on that front porch where we were watching the bird presentation is where I spent a lot of time," said Solomon.
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The backstory:
Solomon is now 72, but remembers coming to the Leonard Reid home with her mother, who was a teacher with Ethel Reid Hayes — the daughter of Leonard Reid.
Reid was an African American pioneer in Sarasota and a community leader who worked as the right-hand man for John Gillespie, Sarasota's first mayor. Reid and his wife tutored children from their home and recruited an educator for African American children in the early 1900s.
The family was also known to have parrots.
"I can still walk in that front door and envision being on that front porch or eating my cookies and my soda with the birds on the front porch and remembering them. They were close to me in my heart. They took on all the kids, no matter what. Those kids were their kids. That’s the way the community grew up. Whether you lived in Overtown or Newtown, those kids were everybody’s kids. They just loved us all," said Solomon.
Big picture view:
The house that did so much good for the community is now 100 years old, and it is also a museum for the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition.
"All year long, we are connecting children with the history of this house and the family," said Vickie Oldham, the president and CEO for the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition.
It's history Oldham works to keep alive for future generations.
"We get to teach African American history in this house, it’s on our shoulders, and it’s our responsibility, and we take it so seriously," said Oldham.
What's next:
On April 4, Newtown will be holding it's annual Spring Fling Easter parade. During that time, the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition will be hosting a book fair outside the Leonard Reid home.
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They will be giving away free books to children, much like Leonard Reid once did.
For more information, click here.
The Source: Information was gathered through interviews and past history of the Leonard Reid home.