FLORENCE-The Florence Arts and Museums Speaker Series is a monthly program meant to inspire conversations about the history and culture of north Alabama, with a focus on how the past shapes the present. This month, Anita Smith Cobb will deliver her presentation, “Black History—Eastside of Florence, Alabama in the mid-1900’s” at 2pm on Sunday, March 27th, at the Florence Indian Mound Museum.
This program will provide important, factual information that focuses on the development, distinctions, and decline of the premier African-American community in Florence. It will also highlight the rich, 50-year (1930-1980) heritage of the area and the contributions/achievements of its outstanding citizens, while telling the story of black businesses, churches, schools, civic organizations, and institutions that played significant roles in the history of Florence. According to Ms. Cobb, the presentation will help people understand that their challenge is “learn, cherish and emulate the accomplishments of this African-American community that has been displaced by commercial business.”
Anita Smith Cobb is a graduate of Burrell High School, received a bachelor’s degree in history from Talladega College, and earned graduate degrees from the University of Michigan. She was a public-school teacher in Inkster, Michigan for 38 years. She served as a counselor for a Federal program at Hopkinsville Community College in Hopkinsville, KY for four years. She is the wife of the late Carl E. Cobb and the mother of three adult children and six grandchildren.
Media Release/Florence Arts and Museums
