The Development of Tampa's African-American Community, 1891-1916
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Sunland Tribune Volume 29 Article 6 2003 "The Negroes are There to Stay": The Development of Tampa's African-American Community, 1891-1916 Canter Brown Jr. Larry Eugene Rivers Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune Recommended Citation Brown, Canter Jr. and Rivers, Larry Eugene (2003) ""The Negroes are There to Stay": The Development of Tampa's African-American Community, 1891-1916," Sunland Tribune: Vol. 29 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune/vol29/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sunland Tribune by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 'The Negroes are there to stay': The Development of Tampa's African-American Community, 1891-1916 Canter Brown, Jr. and Larry Eugene Rivers businesses, industrial enterprises, schools, libraries, churches, banks, insurance com s the nineteenth century bustled panies, and what have you. What happened inexorably toward its close in Jan to those institutions and the promise they uary 1900, the African-American embodied? Here Jackson offered cogent editor of a religious newspaper insight. Although white racism supplied turned his attention to thoughts of Florida's plenty of challenge, economic and social fastest growing city and of a key component changes emerging out of World War One's of that emerging municipality's population. European commencement and events of "I am safe in saying that Tampa will be subsequent years proved the primary vil Tampa you know," the Jackson'Ville Florida lains. By the mid-to-late 1920s conditions E'Van~elist's lead scribe proclaimed. The had deteriorated so badly that memory of journalist then turned his attention to the the achievements already had begun to city's sometimes-troubled race relations. fade. Soon, most people forgot them.3 "She always," he continued, "has her share The same thing happened at Tampa and of troubles." Whereupon, he declared in other Florida locales. Until recently, our without qualification, "Nevertheless, the principal window on that pre-World War Negroes are there to stay." The editor One world at Tampa came courtesy of a thereafter added, almost as afterthought, report prepared in 1927 by J. H. McGrew, "The colored stores are doing well."1 Benjamin E. Mays, and Arthur Raper. In those few words the E'Vartgelist's Although entitled "A Study of Negro Life in editor neatly summed up facts crucial to Tampa," it subsequently has been known understanding Tampa's past, but those facts most commonly as "The Raper Report." In and the details pertinent to them have chapter after chapter, the authors dissected come down to us only as whispers and the community to portray desperate pover mostly in forms quite misleading. That cir ty, ailing community institutions, and white cumstance recently has been brought home disdain. 4 Our tendency subsequently has to the authors by the work of a Florida A&M been to assume that, because circum University colleague. We refer specifically stances ran so dire in 1927, they must have to David H. Jackson's insightful biography been worse - or, at least, no better - in of Mississippi's premier tum-of-the century earlier years. African-American leader, Charles Banks.2 Fortunately, a number of scholars and Professor Jackson's point was this. In the local historians recently have begun to re late nineteenth and early twentieth cen but that assumption. Among them, in 1979, tury, Banks and his associates built in Otis R. Anthony and Marilyn T. Wade of Mississippi (at Mound Bayou, in Bank's fered their A Collection of Historical Facts case) communities anchored in vibrant in About Black Tampa. Anthony revised and stitutions. Their achievements, ones neces updated its content for his 1989 publica sarily arising quickly out of the economic tion, Black Tampa: The Roots of a People. destitution of emancipation, included retail Three important steps forward came in the 57 next few years. In 1992, Mozella G. Mitchell African-American community was . debuted her African American Rel~ious complex and fragmented along class lines,'' History in Tampa Bay. Julius J. Gordon, she observed." By the 1890s, there were six two years later, shared his Afro-Americans black churches and several chapters of the of Hillsborough County, Florida, 1870- Masons and Odd Fellows," she continued. 1890, while Walter T. Howard and Virginia "Membership in these institutions, especial M. Howard achieved publication in the ly the lodges, was exclusionary and tended Journal of Negro History of their essay, to divide the community into defended "Family, Religion, and Education: A Profile circles, although there was some degree of of African-American Life in Tampa, Florida, connection between these social group 1900-1930."5 ings." Greenbaum sensed that only the sto Other publications complemented these ries of these prominent individuals and in initial works. In 1995, for instance, Geof stitutions, if any, ever would be recovered. frey S. Mahlman produced a very helpful "The truly poor and transient masses most master's thesis at the University of South ly did not belong to lodges," Greenbaum Florida, "Bibliography of Resources Con commented in conclusion, "~d often not cerning the African American Presence in to churches either. "8 Tampa: 1513-1995." Finally, in 1997, came Having taken that word of caution, let us the most graphic and popular reminder of also take care about what is meant by refer Tampa's rich African-American heritage, ence to "Tampa,'' even though the effort will Rowena Ferrell Brady's Things Remem require a brief and taxing foray into statis bered: An Album of African-Americans in tics. Through the 1890s, and into the Tampa. Through these decades Tampa-area ·' twentieth century, the city's corporate lim newspapers, too, presented intriguing its remained constricted. While growth glimpses. Most notably, the past's echoes within them by 1895 had raised Tampa to repeatedly found voice in the Tampa Tri the rank of Florida's third largest city bune's "History and Heritage" page written (15,634 residents) behind Jacksonville by the award-winning journalist Leland (25,130) and Key West (16,502), actual Hawes.6 growth in greater Tampa likely put the By no means does this listing exhaust re municipality in second place.9 cent and helpful works. University of South Census results for 1900 allow precise Florida anthropologist Susan D. Greenbaum clarification. By then the city of Tampa had and her associates, to mention prominent grown only to 15,839 persons, seemingly examples, have explored in depth the ori suggesting an abrupt halt to area growth. gins and evolution of the city's Afro-Cuban This lowered the city's rank within the state community. This pathfinding research has to fourth (behind Jacksonville, Pensacola, taken its most comprehensive form in the and Key West, respectively). Jacksonville 2002 publication of Greenbaum's national and Pensacola, meanwhile, had expanded award-winning More Than Black: Afro in line with area growth, while Key West's Cubans in Tampa, a study of imposing island continued to define its limits. At scholarly merit. 7 Tampa, on the other hand, three additional The insights offered by these and other incorporated municipalities now hemmed contributors, coupled with the availability the city's borders. These included Fort of newly discovered primary materials, per Brooke (incorporated 1885) to the east of mits the first overview of Tampa's late nine East Street and below Sixth Avenue with a teenth and early twentieth century African population of 587; West Tampa (incorporat American community to be offered. In at ed 1895) to the west of the Hillsborough tempting to provide that overview, however, River with 2,355; and East Tampa (incorpo care must be exercised. Particularly, the au rated 1897) in the College Hill vicinity with thors have taken notice (as should readers) 1,522. Only a few miles distant, Port Tampa of a word of caution shared by Greenbaum. City (incorporated 1893) on Old Tampa As she has urged all to remember, the lives Bay bumped greater Tampa's population by of thousands of poor and relatively obscure another 1,367 individuals. As a result, and individuals easily are lost or ignored when without taking into consideration the resi revisiting achievements on the larger scale. dents of unincorporated areas, greater Professor Greenbaum explained further. Tampa at the tum of the new century con "The social organization of [Tampa's] tained a population of 21,670, easily placing 58 the urban core second to Jacksonville's Negro population are the British West 28,420 total.IO Indians, of whom there are a few hundred As it turned out, the passage of time in the city," she began. "These people came served to enhance the confusion as to from the Bahamas, Trinidad, Jamaica and Tampa's growth and population. The city in other British possessions." Warming to her 190S, to further consider the point, claimed subject, Muse continued. "Their habits and 22,823 inhabitants, a healthy 44 percent in customs differ widely from the American, crease over 1900. Meanwhile, Fort Brooke and they have militant, uncompromising had swelled to 1,392 (137 percent); West natures," she recorded. "The 'British sub Tampa to 3,661 (SS percent); and East Tam ject,' as they prefer being called, are a more pa, 2,6S7 (7S percent). Port Tampa City, progressive group generally than the Amer meanwhile, lost population, to 1,049 per ican Negroes to be found in Tampa." Muse sons. Not until 1907 was Fort Brooke concluded, "They guard jealously all the incorporated into the city. East Tampa re possible rights they can enjoy, are con mained separate until 1911; West Tampa stantly on the alert for civic improvements until 192S; and Port Tampa City until and force themselves into leadership in any decades later.11 group with which they are connected."13 The confusion created by this jumble of The West Indian emigrants left numer competing municipal corporations some ous legacies in Tampa, such as St.