Newtown Alive

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The mission of the Newtown Conservation Historic District is to celebrate the history and cultural heritage of Newtown — a resilient community undergoing revitalization.

Black Joy!The title alone speaks. Black Joy is a way of life. What does it mean for Black people to feel good fully, una...
09/06/2026

Black Joy!

The title alone speaks.

Black Joy is a way of life.

What does it mean for Black people to feel good fully, unapologetically?

…is it defiance, tenderness, an act of resistance, a return to self-love, a source of peace, and pride, excitement, and empowerment?

Black Joy is the electric slide at a family reunion; jubilation at the Newtown Easter Parade. The halftime show at an HBCU game. It’s the taste of my aunt Alberta’s candied yams — sweet, buttery, slow-cooked with love — next to a pan of collards, her mac and cheese and made-from-scratch cornbread.

Black Joy is the title of a new exhibition coming to the Reid House. A call to artists to submit work in all forms is September 18. The exhibit opens in November. Contact: Mydahlia Glover at [email protected].

Masonic Lodge #314 is getting more attention (and hopefully some funding TLC to shore up the building). Here’s a rare p...
09/03/2026

Masonic Lodge #314 is getting more attention (and hopefully some funding TLC to shore up the building). Here’s a rare peek inside.

Mr. Leonard Reid was one of the founders. Some members are pushing to keep this history alive.

After the Civil War ended slavery in the south, segregationist policies and Jim Crow laws still prevented access to healthcare, education and social services for African Americans.

Organizations such as the Masons provided a social safety net for Newtown residents long before Medicare and food programs. Today, members still feed the unhoused and residents impacted by storms, provide scholarships and backpacks to neighborhood children, visit residents at JH Floyd nursing facility, check on widows, serve as holiday bell ringers for the Salvation Army.

So cool to see the historic marker in this shot with Dr. Shelley describing the Newtown CRA’s project to a crowd of comm...
08/31/2026

So cool to see the historic marker in this shot with Dr. Shelley describing the Newtown CRA’s project to a crowd of community leaders. City Commissioner Battie set it up.
It looks like a “live shot.”

The meeting was a quarterly conversation organized by Mary Butler about Newtown Thrive, an economic development initiative. Mary leads the Newtown Business Council.

Back to the markers…There are 15 in Newtown located in places where history happened. Check them out here: https://share.google/nQTD2rcPlMue3XS8b@

Happy birthday Mr. Leonard Reid (Aug. 24, 1881). Your house is a cultural cornerstone now. We celebrate you - valedictor...
08/31/2026

Happy birthday Mr. Leonard Reid (Aug. 24, 1881). Your house is a cultural cornerstone now.

We celebrate you - valedictorian of the Savannah Normal School class, Sarasota pioneer, Payne Chapel AME founder, community leader and founding member of Masonic Lodge #314.

Thanks for handing out books to neighborhood children at your house (we honor your legacy by doing same); educating your children and teaching them about community service. They educated generations of Newtown children.

Mrs. Ethel Reid Hayes and sister Viola, our nursery school teachers taught us the alphabets, how to count and stand in line for the restroom nicely.

On the Road with my toolkit. Nothing but Black Joy with a view like this. We’ll be alright.
08/28/2026

On the Road with my toolkit. Nothing but Black Joy with a view like this.

We’ll be alright.

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Sarasota, FL
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