Today's social change advocates can learn a great deal from stories about people who have previously stood together to challenge the status quo and fight for equity.
Watch the Full DocumentaryToday’s advocates for social change are walking in the footsteps of those who came before them, working to start and sustain movements that matter. Many of the injustices faced by previous generations persist today, reminding us that the work of securing and protecting peoples’ rights is an ongoing struggle that each generation must undertake.
The History Wall at the Center for Health Equity
A History of Civil Rights and Social Change in Pinellas County is an extension of an exhibit installed at the Center for Health Equity entitled Building an Equity Movement. The exhibit shares stories of episodes in Pinellas County’s history when people came together to secure rights, combat injustice, and work to advance equity. The goal of the exhibit is to embrace that heritage and inspire solidarity and resolve among today’s social change makers.
Far from an exhaustive account of Pinellas County’s history, this overview serves as an entry point for education, understanding, and further exploration. The stories of how our community came to be are important because they continue to shape who we are today. The knowledge of where we’ve been empowers us to move forward in a way that prioritizes equity for all.
Watch the documentary in its entirety above, or explore by topic. Each topic will soon include an engagement guide for discussion, reflection, and action around the content of the video, and facilitators are available for hire to help groups and organizations explore this content together. Find local social change advocates who are doing work in our community around each of the featured topics and follow the links to their sites to get involved with their efforts.
A History of Civil Rights and Social Change in Pinellas County was researched and co-curated by local historians Gwendolyn Reese and Jon Wilson.
Far from an exhaustive account of Pinellas County’s history, this overview is an evolving project that serves as an entry point for education, understanding, and further exploration.