TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The rise of the Black middle class is the topic of a lecture Monday that took an important look at Black History as part of the annual Festival of Freedom.
FAMU's Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum has partnered with Leon County for the event.
It is the county's first library lecture series for 2019. The lecture by Dr. Nashid Madyun focuses specifically on the turning point in African-American history when there was a rise in the African-American middle class and how that came to be.
He'll discuss opposition to that rise and what that meant economically and politically. Dr. Madyun hopes tonight's audience walks away motivated and curious.
"They should be interested in the African American military and African American entrepreneurship, the resilience and re-crafting of double-consciousness and African-American identity," said Dr. Madyun. "What does that mean? You need to research your family, I need to research my family, maybe there are some sparks of pride that can help our children move forward."
Monday night's free event starts at 6 p.m. at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum at 445 Gamble Street. All are welcome.
The lecture is part of the Annual Festival of Freedom commemorating the first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Tallahassee at the Knott House on Park Avenue on May 20.
