Community leaders spend a great deal of time talking about the future. We discuss opportunities, challenges, data, trends and possibilities. We focus on what comes next. But recently, I was reminded that understanding where we’re going requires understanding where we have been.
Last week, members of our Community Foundation of Sarasota County team took a trolley tour led by local historian and community advocate Vickie Oldham, who is also the executive director of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition. What I expected to be an educational experience became something much more meaningful: a morning filled with stories, music, history and perspective.
Our morning began with a prayer and song led by Brenda Watty, a former Motown Marvelette whose voice and stories set the tone for the journey ahead. Also on board was Odessa Butler, a former Miss Booker High and longtime community advocate whose oral history is invaluable. Throughout the morning, Mrs. Butler recalled her mother’s efforts to lead economic boycotts in pursuit of civil rights, while Brenda shared memories of performing on the Chitlin’ Circuit, singing snippets of well-known hits and inviting us to join in…