(Bradenton, Fla., April 29, 2021) — The Family Heritage House Museum at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) located in the Library & Learning Center at SCF Bradenton will host a livestream one Tuesday per month atFacebook.com/StateCollegeofFlorida under “videos” to promote exhibits that honor black history and heritage year-round. The upcoming livestream will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 18, in the unique children’s room named in honor of local advocate and educator Annie Lucy Williams, whose family has long supported the museum. The room houses culturally sensitive books and other relevant materials geared toward children of all ages.
The Family Heritage House Museum is an African American gallery and resource center that curates a collection of artifacts, literature and displays reflecting the history and experiences of African Americans in Manatee County, Florida, and surrounding areas. The husband-and-wife duo, late Ernest L. Brown Jr. and Fredi Sears Brown, began collecting a series of news clippings, photographs, documents and books when they were living in Detroit to document and preserve the living history they were experiencing.
Their collection grew to a hybrid library-museum after moving to Bradenton in the 1970s. A decade after they opened the first Heritage House in a trailer behind a Head Start office in Bradenton in 1990, the Browns opened the doors of their new museum building at Manatee Community College, now SCF, ensuring a non-circulating collection was available to anyone for browsing, studying and researching. With the help of SCF presidents, the Browns maintained its focus on educating the youth.
Museum Specialist Kathie Marsh shared a sentiment from the late Fredi Sears Brown, which speaks to that focus. “Part of our mission at Family Heritage House Museum is to inspire children to have a respect for their ancestors, a love for learning and a passion for service.”
For more information about the museum and its offerings, contact Marsh atMarshK@SCF.edu or 941-752-5319.