On March 19, 2021, a fascinating and significant new exhibit will open at the Henry Plant Museum. “When the Train Comes Along”: Booker T. Washington at the Tampa Bay Casino examines and explores the significance and impact of Washington’s 1912 address in Tampa – a mostly forgotten chapter of local history. This exhibit is curated by Dr. Charles McGraw Groh of The University of Tampa and will run through December 23, 2021.

Stopping in Tampa during his 1912 Florida speaking tour, educator and activist Booker T. Washington saw a city divided. In the preceding years, local and state legislation had barred African Americans from political participation and enforced segregation on trains, streetcars, and other public accommodations. For one evening, Washington’s address at the Tampa Bay Casino brought together the Cigar City’s white, black, and Latin populations in a single location. Ironically, this unprecedented event only highlighted the community fissures that would define the era of Jim Crow. “When the Train Comes Along”: Booker T. Washington at the Tampa Bay Casino explores those fractured relations while highlighting the influence of Washington on the strategies adopted by black women and men to live with dignity in this period of Tampa’s history.

This exhibit engages and encourages a vital public discussion about the roots of racial inequality that continue to plague our community, especially in the areas of political representation and education. At the same time, it etches more deeply the lives of people of color into our collective memory. Tampa cannot move forward as a vibrant, diverse city without a clearer understanding of our shared past. This exhibit reminds us that inclusion does not create uniformity. Although the proliferation of separate black social clubs and self-help organizations were, at least in part, a product of exclusion from city services and public accommodations, these community institutions came to define a distinct African American and Afro-Cuban experience in Tampa. This rich heritage is celebrated in the Henry B. Plant Museum’s new exhibit.

The inclusion of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century objects, sound recordings, photographs, maps and more will bring this vital story to life. Accompanying the exhibit will be a variety of programs and events throughout the year. Visit plantmuseum.com to learn more about programming and special events.

“When the Train Comes Along”: Booker T. Washington at the Tampa Bay Casino runs from March 19 through December 23. This exhibit is graciously underwritten by The Bank of Tampa, Orie Byars & Steve Richards, the Gobioff Foundation, the Henry B. Plant Museum Society, Ogletree Deakins, Oxford Exchange, TECO/Peoples Gas, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Rotary Club of Tampa.

Time

March 19 (Friday) 10:00 am - December 23 (Thursday) 5:00 pm

Location

Henry B. Plant Museum

401 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606

Multi Day Event Hours

Open 10-5 Tuesday through Saturday, noon-5 on Sundays. Closed Mondays.

Organizer

Henry B. Plant MuseumLindsay Huban, 813.258.7302, lhuban@ut.edu 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606

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fri16apr(apr 16)12:00 pmmon31may(may 31)7:00 pmPicture (im) Perfect12:00 pm - (may 31) 7:00 pm Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 400 N. Ashley Drive Cube 200 Tampa, Florida 33602

sun18apr1:00 pm5:00 pmPhoto 101 Express In Person1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 400 N. Ashley Drive Cube 200 Tampa, Florida 33602

wed21apr5:30 pm7:30 pmTravel 2.0: Image Reviews Remote Learning5:30 pm - 7:30 pm VIRTUAL, n/a

wed21apr6:00 pm8:00 pmWedding Photography Basics In Person6:00 pm - 8:00 pm VIRTUAL, n/a

sat24apr(apr 24)11:00 amsun25(apr 25)4:00 pmThe Great American Franshise Expo - Tampa11:00 am - 4:00 pm (25) Tampa Convention Center, 333 South Franklin Street

mon26apr6:00 pm8:00 pmLightroom Remote Learning6:00 pm - 8:00 pm VIRTUAL, n/a

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