Far too often, the history of Black Americans is seen as one filled with the traumas of slavery, segregation and violence. The Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition (SAACC) intends to flip the script on that in November, when it chooses instead to focus on Black Joy, with a juried art exhibition and the Black JoyFest Expo event Nov. 14.

As SAACC president and CEO Vickie Oldham, a Sarasota native, puts it, “It’s been a tough year for African Americans. Our history has been under assault, including changing the way Black history is taught in schools, taking down Black images and works. I was fighting to keep my joy, and when I searched around for a theme for this exhibit and expo, Black Joy came up as an option.” That means celebrating the culture, traditions and everyday lives of Black citizens, both visually through the exhibit (which opens Nov. 4 and runs through March 31) and through live music, soul food, artist talks, dancing, drumming and more the day of the expo.

All of that takes place on the grounds of the historic Leonard Reid House, the home of SAACC on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Orange Avenue. Built in 1926 in what was then called Overtown (today’s Rosemary District), the modest frame house, which is on the National Register for Historic Places, was moved from its site on Seventh Street to its current location in Newtown in 2022 due to the construction of The Sarasota Modern hotel at its original location.

For those who may not know, Leonard Reid was an early settler in Sarasota, born in South Carolina and moving here from Savannah in 1900. His move here was not exactly planned; according to his daughter Ethel, Reid had boarded a boat heading to Cuba and it stopped here to refuel. The story goes that Reid met up with some locals of the Black community at a party, and ended up missing the boat’s departure.

It turned out all right for him, though, as he soon met Sarasota’s first mayor, Col. John Hamilton Gillespie, and began to work for him in a trusted position, serving as coachman and keeper of the Gillespie home when the owner and his wife were out of town.  Reid also met his wife, Eddye, through the Gillespies. She worked as a maid and cook for the couple, but it seems she may have been treated with more attention and affection than is usual for a mere employee. She and Leonard married in 1901 and eventually raised four children in their 1,400-square-foot home.

Today, the restored home displays artwork and historical information, presents events such as a popular history trolley ride, and sells hand-crafted items and more in its little shop. It’s a story of survival and persistence, as funding for such necessities as termite mitigation, hurricane funding, landscaping and other improvements has not always been easy to come by.

But Oldham and her team have managed to receive some grant money at both the local and state level, as well as philanthropic donations, and are currently in the quiet, pre-capital campaign phase to expand their imprint on the site, planning to purchase city-owned land adjacent to the property to grow to a 10,000-square foot facility focused on African American culture, history and art. While not ready to begin fund-raising just yet, SAACC has architects working on design plans that will give potential donors something to see before launching a $5 million Phase 1 of the project, as well as helping to establish an overall timeline.

In the meantime, November’s Black Joy events mark the centennial of the Leonard Reid House, and an opportunity for both newcomers and old-timers here to expand their knowledge of Sarasota’s African American history and art. For more information, go to thesaacc.org.