>>LAUREN VERNO: CELEBRATING BLACK CULTURE IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT’S SOMETHING WE
WANTED TO NOT JUST DURING
BLACK HISTORY MONTH A YEAR
AROUND TOMORROW, A COMMUNITY
EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE TO DO
JUST THAT. JOINING ME NOW TO
TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU NEED
TO KNOW ABOUT THE MELANIN
MARKET AND THE IMPORTANCE
BEHIND IT, YOU HAVE DON
CURLING, THE ORGANIZER AND
CHARLES SPENCER, THE PARADE
HONOREE. GOOD MORNING, GUYS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
>> A WARNING IS A PLEASURE TO
BE HERE. YEAH, WITHOUT A
DOUBT. ALL RIGHT. SO LET’S
START WITH TELL ME A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT THE EVENT. GOING ON?
WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE EXPECT?
>> SHOULD THE MILITANT MARKET
WILL BE LOCATED AT FIRST IN
APRIL OF RANDALL BLVD EACH THE
PARADE WILL COME FROM BAY
STREETS AND DOWN A RANDOLPH
BOULEVARD IN I THINK IT WILL
CUT OFF MAYBE AT ODESSA
STREET. SO YOU WOULD USE HEAD
ON DOWN IT IF I WERE YOU, I
WOULD PROBABLY TAKE MY SEAT,
MAYBE DOWN TRAINS CLOSED BY
THE FAIR GROUNDS OF THE
VETERANS STADIUM AND WALK DOWN
TO THEM THE MARKET BECAUSE
THAT’S WHERE ALL OF THE
EXCITEMENT IS GOING TO BE.
>>LAUREN VERNO: DON, HOW DID
YOU COME UP WITH THESE PARADE
HONOREES, INCLUDING CHARLES
WILL GET TO YOU IN A SECOND,
CHARLES, BUT WHERE HOW DID YOU
COME UP WITH WHO IS BEING
SELECTED?
>> BECAUSE WE’RE HONORING
BLACK WE HAVE AFRICAN AMERICAN
PIONEERS THAT ARE WITHIN OUR
COMMUNITY THAT DON’T ALWAYS
GET RECOGNITION FOR THE
ACHIEVE NEWS THAT ME THAT
THEY’VE DONE. THE 58 FOOT BONE
SEEN WAS ONE OF OUR OWN IS ONE
OF OUR WON THE FIRST. THERE
WERE THE FIRST BLACK SCHOOL IN
FLORIDA IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP.
BUT BECAUSE OF SEGREGATION,
THEY NEVER GOT RECOGNITION IN
2 LATER. SO SUE ME, THAT IS AN
HONOR. AND THEY ALSO HAVE BOB
HAYES THAT PLAYED ON THEIR
FOOTBALL TEAM. SO THAT’S THE
REASON WHY WE INQUEST.
GILBERT, TEEN.
>>LAUREN VERNO: WHAT’S IT LIKE
TO BE ONE OF THESE PARADE
HONOREES?
>> WELL, I GUESS EVERYONE ONLY
PEOPLE LIKE TO GET RECOGNITION
FOR THANKSGIVING DONE. I GUESS
I’M LIKE MOST PEOPLE. I HAVE
NO PROBLEM WITH THAT IS GOOD
TO BE ON JUST. SO IT TOOK A
LONG TIME TO GET THE
RECOGNITION. EVEN WE WON THE
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN IT. IF
IT WAS 30 PLUS YEARS LATER
BEFORE WE HAVE GOT IN MISSION
HERE IN THE CITY OF
JACKSONVILLE. BUT I GUESS
THEY’LL SAY IS BETTER LATE
THAN NEVER. SO WE TAKE THAT.
>>LAUREN VERNO: CHARLES, WHAT
DO YOU WANT THE MESSAGE TO BE
WHEN PEOPLE ALL SEE THIS
PARADE AND REALLY SEE THE TEAM
YOU GUYS REPRESENT? WHAT DO
YOU WANT THEM TO TAKE OUT OF
THAT?
>> YOU A LOT OF OBSTACLES YOU
KNOW, BECOME IT STATE
CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM. NUMBER ONE,
THE ATTENDANT ABLE TO WHICH IS
ONLY USE THAT. LIKE PEOPLE
WANT TO SEE IT. CAN ANYTHING
GOOD COME FROM THE EAST THAT
AND ALWAYS REMIND HIM,
FIRSTLY, JESUS CHRIST CAME
FROM THAT. HE SAID. DOCTOR
ANDREW USED TO PLAYING HERE IN
THE CITY, CAME FROM THE SET,
CAUSE MYSELF ALONG WITH OTHER
FOOTBALL WE PLAY FOOTBALL
AGAIN WOULD WE DIDN’T EVEN
HAVE FOOTBALL FIELD TO
PRACTICE ON. WE HAD TO WALK
FROM A FAD BLOCKS DOWN TO
WHERE THE BOYS ALL WAS. AND IT
WAS JUST SAYING WE PRACTICE AT
THIS. AND SO WE’VE GOT A
CHANCE SCHOOL AND PLAY GAMES.
WE’LL PUT IT BECAUSE WE WILL
GET A CHANCE NOT TO PLAY ON A
GRASS FIELD AT THAT. SO THAT
ENDED UP UNAIDED BEING A GOOD
POSITIVE FOR US. I THINK WE
JUST HAD GUYS WHO WE GET TO
WITH TALENT AND SKILLS AND YOU
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. AND WE
WERE SUCCESSFUL. WELL, YOU WIN
THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN
1959, 19TH. IF THEY DON’T WANT
TO MAKE THIS CRYSTAL CLEAR
EVERYONE, I WAS NOT A SENIOR
OR JUNIOR. I WAS JUST THE
SOUTH WILL ADJUST IN 10TH
GRADE. I PLAYED THAT MUCH WELL
FOOTBALL, ACTUAL GAME KICKOFF
TEAM THAT WOULD STUFF LIKE
THAT. BUT I CAN SAY THAT THE
OUT OF MY 3 YEARS OF PLENTY OF
FOOTBALL, IT HAS TO. WE WENT
TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
TWICE. I SEE AGAIN. BUT WE
DIDN’T WIN THAT. YOU BIG GAME,
BUT A LOT OF AND WE DON’T HAVE
MUCH TABS. I WANT TO TAKE A
LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT
THAT. BUT IT’S IT’S GREAT,
TOO, SOME POINT WE’RE AT THE
CONSCIOUSNESS, BUT AND THERE
WILL BE OTHERS ON THE FLOAT
TOMORROW WHO WERE PART OF A
CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
>>LAUREN VERNO: SO IMPORTANT
THAT RECOGNIZE RECKON A
FRACKING IS ATION ODON ONE
MORE TIME. WHAT TIME DOES IT
START? AND WHERE CAN PEOPLE
WATCH IT?
>> THE PARADE STARTS AT YOU
CAN LINE UP ANYWHERE BETWEEN
THE VETERANS, COMMA, AND THE
FAIRGROUNDS. THEY WILL DOWN A
RANDOLPH BOULEVARD TO FIRST
STREET. TO GET A GOOD SEAT, I
WOULD. COME ABOUT 11, 30 SIT
BACK, BRINGING ALLOW LOUNGE
CHAIRS AND WE FOR THE
EXCITEMENT TO COME DOWN. A
PHILIP RANDOLPH BOULEVARD.
>>LAUREN VERNO: SO IMPORTANT,