PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Jaha Cummings doesn’t just tell people about African American history in Punta Gorda — he is African American history in Punta Gorda.
“My grandmother, Bernice A. Russel, she was actually the founder of the Blanchard House Museum. She was a local historian,” said Cummings, founding chair of the Blanchard House Institute.
“Our family is one of the founding families of Punta Gorda, so she’s just proud of our heritage here,” Cummings said. “So, my great-uncle Daniel Smith headed the survey team. He was only 17 years old.”…