Most people drive past it without ever knowing what it is \u2014 the small white building that sits beside Clemente Park in Fort Myers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most popular thing that I hear is, \u2018I never knew there was an African American museum here in Fort Myers,\u2019\u201d said Melinda Golden, program and events coordinator for the Lee County Black History Society.<\/p>\n
For Golden, that reaction underscores how often Black history can be overlooked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re sitting in the Williams Academy Black History Museum, and in this room is a simulation of a classroom from back in the day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The original Williams Academy, built between 1912 and 1913, was Lee County\u2019s first government-funded school for Black or Colored students during segregation. <\/p>\n
Named after J.S. Williams, the county\u2019s supervisor of Black schools, it served generations of students at a time when educational opportunities were limited. Inside the recreated classroom, desks of different sizes reflect how a single teacher once taught multiple grade levels at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think African American history should be taught in schools just like American history,\u201d Golden said. \u201cBecause it is American history.\u201d<\/p>\n
For her, some history hits closer to home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was part of the desegregation of schools,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to leave my neighborhood and catch a bus at 5 a.m. just to make it to a 7:30 class.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her freshman year was especially difficult, entering a community where Black students were not always welcomed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we got inside the school, the students treated us fine,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we weren\u2019t wanted in the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reminders of that division still exist inside the museum. Exhibits include signage tied to segregation in the area, including markers that once separated communities along nearby railroad tracks. Even so, Golden believes progress has been made.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope the next generation can say things are better than what their parents experienced,\u201d she said. \u201cThat they can see how far we\u2019ve come, and that opportunities are easier now than they were before.\u201d<\/p>\n
That effort to share and preserve history continues today. The Lee County Black History Society is inviting the community to its annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 20, from 4 to 9 p.m. at the STARS Complex in Fort Myers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want everyone to come out,\u201d Golden said.<\/p>\n