Of History and Hope
Fall 2020 | By Jenna Marina Lee | Video by Thomas Bell ’08 and Carly McCarthy Hollowell ’14 ’20MA
激情快播 student Sasha Mills has lived her entire life in Parramore.
When she finally got to see the finished 16 1/2 -by-11-foot art glass window that was made specifically for the 激情快播 Downtown campus located in the heart of her neighborhood, a big smile spread across her face.
鈥淧arramore has shaped me into who I am,鈥� says Mills, who is studying human communication at the downtown campus. 鈥淭o know that we come from such a rich history 鈥� and that it鈥檚 displayed for everyone to see 鈥� makes me proud.鈥�
Mills was one of several community members who offered stories, neighborhood tours and input for artist Nancy Gutkin O鈥橬eil to craft the mural that was installed in June.
鈥淭here were so many stories, and I sensed a real resilience from the people who grew up in Parramore,鈥� says O鈥橬eil. 鈥淚t was an honor to try to do a piece of art that in some way told part of that story.鈥�
Here a few highlights featured in the artwork:
Collective Memories
O鈥橬eil titled the artwork, If We Can Truly Remember, They Will Not Forget, a line selected from Miller Williams鈥� poem Of History and Hope. 鈥淚 knew I wanted the title to be about memory, hope and people鈥檚 dreams,鈥� says O鈥橬eil. 鈥淭his is about remembering from the heart, not just the mind, and passing things on to another generation.鈥�
Local Businesses
While researching Parramore, O鈥橬eil found the 1960 business directory of the Orlando Negro Chamber of Commerce, which she says demonstrates the residents鈥� fortitude to build a thriving community despite the tremendous obstacles they faced in a racist society. 鈥淓very beauty salon, taxicab stand, restaurant, insurance company, social organization, drug store, day care 鈥� everything you could think of that made up a world 鈥� and it鈥檚 almost all gone,鈥� she says.
Life in Parramore
In 2008, members of the Parramore Kidz Zone, a youth development program, wrote a spoken word poem titled, I Come from Parramore, which was turned into a video. Excerpts from the poem are highlighted in the artwork, including a line that Mills wrote while in high school: 鈥淚 come from a place called the bottom, so I have no other destination but the top.鈥�
Racial Strife
Established in 1948 by Ed and Eileen Goff, Goff鈥檚 Drive In is one of Orlando鈥檚 oldest businesses. The small ice cream stand known for its banana splits and cones is located near Camping World Stadium on South Orange Blossom Trail. According to a 2003 Orlando Sentinel article, the stand was bombed on November 2, 1951, after the Goffs served Black and white customers at the same counter.
Past and Future
You can鈥檛 talk about Parramore without mentioning Jones High School. Archival photos of the 1931 graduating class, students greeting Martin Luther King Jr. in Orlando, and the band鈥檚 trip to the 1964 New York World鈥檚 Fair are all prominently featured. 鈥淚 wish I could take a time machine to go back and experience what it was like,鈥� says Mills, a Jones graduate. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the day when I can take kids from the neighborhood to go see the window and hear them ask, 鈥榃hat is this?鈥� and tell them, 鈥楾his is our history.鈥� 鈥�
This installation was commissioned as part of Florida鈥檚 Art in State Buildings Program, which acquires artwork for new public facilities built with state funds. The program requires that up to .5% of the construction appropriation be set aside to acquire artwork for permanent display in, on or around the facility. Since the program began in 1979, more than 1,000 works of art have been purchased or commissioned for Florida public spaces.