ST. CLOUD, Fla. — Tuesday, the NAACP of Osceola County presented a proclamation to the City of St. Cloud, formally denouncing its past as a Sundown Town.
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The proclamation presented in front of a standing crowd during the city council meeting, celebrated the commitment to acceptance and equality for all people.
According to history, sundown towns were cities or communities that kept out African Americans or other groups, implementing racial segregation through discriminatory laws, intimidation, or violence.
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These towns earned their name from practices that required people of color, particularly African Americans, to leave town limits by sunset. These policies, often upheld by unwritten rules or posted signs, were rooted in systemic racism designed to create all-white communities.
For years, St. Cloud’s reputation as a Sundown Town loomed as a shadow over its history since 1910.
According to a St. Cloud historian Larisa Roderick, The westernmost boundary of the Negro Quarter was Orange Ave. in St. Cloud. One side of the street was White, & the other side was Black.
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One of St. Cloud’s historic black churches, Friendship Missionary Baptist, is located on the Black side of Orange Ave. Its first pastor was Reverend John C. Bell, a former slave & Union Veteran of the Civil War. He lived beside his church.
The proclamation, presented by the NAACP, serves as a statement that those days are firmly in the past. It acknowledges the wrongs of history 115 years ago while affirming the city’s transformation into a place that embraces diversity and inclusion.
City Councilwoman Jennifer Paul expressed her gratitude for the proclamation, acknowledging the importance of confronting the past to build a stronger, united future.
The proclamation stands as both a reflection on a painful chapter and a proud milestone in the city’s steady journey toward inclusion.
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