The Vote is…Unanimous
Vickie Oldham
I’m still feeling grateful about the victory at Sarasota’s City Hall on Aug. 2. The journey to complete 20 key tasks, identify a preferred location — after researching 20 — and juggling fundraising in the middle of a global pandemic is over. Or at least a major step is. The process was akin to running in a race filled with hurdles, delays, sudden surprises and cut ins.
The 32 speakers who provided public comments during the three-hour session were the real stars. There were many memorable moments. Singer Brenda Watty offered comments, then belted a Negro spiritual. Melanie Lavender’s spoken word recitation brought the house down.
The chamber was filled with neighbors, newcomers, faculty and students from New College of Florida and Ringling College of Art and Design, nonprofit CEOs, members of civic groups, Manasota ASALH and former Sarasota Mayor Shelli Freeland Eddie who supported SAACC’s proposal. Excerpts from 15 support letters were read into the record by educator and SAACC administrator Edna Sherrell. Before public comments, the SAACC team unveiled artist renderings of the Sarasota African American Art Center and History Museum on the preferred Orange Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. site.
For me, an extraordinary moment was sitting in the chamber listening to Larry Peak’s story through Zoom from Baltimore. I remember Larry. As an ABC 7 news reporter, I covered a piece in the Orange Avenue projects. A wiry 11-year-old boy rode up on a bike, hung around the news truck and asked lots of questions. I was rushing to meet a deadline.
“What are you doing? Why? How do you do that, how did you learn that…”
The kid was persistent. I paid attention and remained in touch, tracking, and helping him. Much later, I found out that the child was an abuse victim. Other caring adults helped too. A teacher at Sarasota High School saw him hanging around campus after hours. He stayed with her family for a while; then lived with another family throughout high school, college, and law school. All of us are his extended family.
The inquisitive child I met in the projects is a 42-year-old-criminal and civil litigation attorney today. A diverse village in our community exposed him to books, YMCA sports, the arts, culture, and education. This is the impact that we can make in a child’s life at the Sarasota Art Center and History Museum. My hope is that other neighborhood children without a safety net who visit the complex will meet caring adults who’ll help to transform their lives.
After a lengthy discussion, lawmakers voted unanimously to work with SAACC to craft an agreement.
Passion, power, poetry, singing, scholarship, comedy; also, empowerment, motivation, and good church showcased the beauty of diversity in our community.
