Celebrating Our Ancestors Celebration

Celebrating Our Ancestors is a multi-day public event designed to share the history of enslaved people in Pensacola and celebrate the many important contributions they made to create this city and its unique culture. Celebrating Our Ancestors will culminate in a day long celebration on the historic properties along Zaragoza Street in downtown Pensacola.

Celebration

The Celebration will provide an opportunity for adults and children to learn about the enslaved history of Pensacola. Celebration events include:

• HISTORIC PENSACOLA MUSEUMS
  • All UWF Historic Trust Museums in downtown Pensacola will be open for FREE

• MINI-WORKSHOP LEARNING LABORATORY (30 minutes each):
  • African American Genealogy Mini-Workshop: Learn about genealogical research and the challenges of tracing enslaved ancestors. John Veasley of the West Florida Genealogical Society will share tips and answer questions.
  • Cemetery Preservation Mini-Workshop: Discover best practices for cemetery preservation, including legal considerations and funding.
  • African American Archaeology Mini-Workshop: Understand how archaeology helps uncover the history of enslavement and learn how to get involved.
  • African American Archival Research Mini-Workshop: Get introduced to archival research methods and how to access historical documents relevant to enslavement.

• COMMUNITY STAGE: Enjoy performances and storytelling by local artists. During transitions, the emcee will share the names and stories of locally enslaved individuals.

• POP-UP MUSEUM: Local organizations will have booths to provide information and lead hands-on, family-friendly activities.

• MARKETPLACE: Browse and purchase products from local businesses, artists, and artisans.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

We invite nonprofit organizations and local vendors to join Celebrating Our Ancestors.

SHARE INFORMATION AT THE POP-UP MUSEUM

Nonprofits and community groups can set up free booths to share information and engage visitors with family-friendly activities. Each organization will receive one folding table and two chairs.

SELL YOUR PRODUCTS AT THE MARKETPLACE

Local businesses, artists, and artisans can set up booths to sell their products for a fee of $50.

Apply here:

Organization/Vendor Application

Event Details

This event is FREE and open to the public. Some components of Celebrating Our Ancestors require advanced registration. For more information about these activities, visit the Celebrating Our Ancestors homepage.