JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For 69-year-old Joyce Wilcox, LaVilla wasn’t just a chapter in Jacksonville’s history — it was her childhood. Growing up in the Blodgett Homes, she remembers a neighborhood alive with music, laughter, and community spirit.
“We had pools, we had playgrounds, we had the best, so growing up as a little girl, I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know about the segregation. I was a little girl having fun playing,” Wilcox said.
LaVilla, often called the “Harlem of the South,” was a vibrant cultural corridor for Black families during the years of segregation. Hotels, theaters, shops, and thriving businesses lined Davis Street and beyond. Education, arts, and social life were central to raising children, and summer nights carried the sounds of jazz and swing down Ashley Street…