Register 17 Seats Remaining
History Chat: Jacksonville's Gullah Geechee Heritage
with Ennis Davis and Adrienne Burke
Saturday, October 03
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Main Library
Ansbacher Map Room, 3 WestHistory Chat is a one hour program in which a lecturer speaks about a topic in local or national history followed by an audience Q&A session.
Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee Heritage is a community-centered exploration of the people, places, and traditions that have shaped Jacksonville’s Black coastal communities. Through historical research, oral histories, and cultural landscape storytelling, this History Chat centered around the book by the same title, documents a legacy that has too often been overlooked, minimized, or left out of the record. Whether you were raised here, have family roots in the region, or are learning this history for the first time, Jacksonville's Gullah Geechee Heritage by Ennis Davis and Adrienne Burke invites you to witness, remember, and carry these stories forward.
Ennis Davis is an urban planner with a passion for cultural heritage preservation and urban planning that dates to a childhood of listening to his ancestors pass down family history and stories of African American life in the racially segregated south. A sixth generation Floridian from Winter Haven, his desire for equitable community development and opportunity led him to pursue a Bachelor of Architecture degree at Florida A&M University.
A Gullah Geechee descendant with 25 years experience in the fields of planning, architecture and real estate development, Ennis is a public historian dedicated to inclusively uplifting people, communities and protecting their culture, heritage and sense of place. In addition, he is the President of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s Board of Directors, Groundwork Jacksonville Board member, author of the award-winning books Reclaiming Jacksonville, Cohen Brothers: The Big Store and Images of Modern America: Jacksonville, and co-founder of online media publications TheJaxsonmag.com and Moderncities.com.
Adrienne Burke is an urban planner and attorney whose love of history began as a child in Montgomery, Alabama and was solidified as a teenager in Virginia. Ultimately, this led her to pursue degrees in history and law, with an emphasis on African American history, land use, and historic preservation. Adrienne is passionate about the intersection of history, social justice and community healing, and the opportunity to work with communities to realize their planning goals through heritage and cultural storytelling and preservation.
Adrienne has over 17 years experience in local government land use and preservation planning and nonprofit management. She received her B.A. in history from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s Degree in Architectural Studies: Historic Preservation and a Juris Doctor, both from the University of Florida. She is Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the National Council on Public History, Secretary for Florida Avenue Main Street, and a CAMP Trainer with the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions.
A book sale and signing will follow the program.
This program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Register to save your seat. Registration must be completed two hours prior to the start time. A library card and PIN are required for registration. If you do not already have one, you can apply for a library card online.
All registered seats will be forfeited at 1:55 p.m. and made available to waitlisted and walk-in attendees. Registered attendees arriving after this time will be seated if seats are available.
Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please allow 1–2 business days to process. Last-minute requests will be accepted, but may not be possible to fulfill. Please ask for Learning Services at 255-2665 or email JPLPrograms@coj.net.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | History and Genealogy |
TAGS: | Mellon grant | African American History | adult programs |
Main Library
| Mon, Aug 24 | 9:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Tue, Aug 25 | 9:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Wed, Aug 26 | 9:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Thu, Aug 27 | 9:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 9:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 9:00AM to 6:00PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | Closed |
