Patricia Black Collection

Patricia Black Collection

Black Collection

Sanford (Fla.)

Migrant workers

Agricultural laborers--Florida

Migration, Internal--United States

Farm laborers

Upstate New York (N.Y.)

Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)

Madison (Fla.)

Houses and homes

Rochester (N.Y.)

Collection of photographs and ephemera donated by Patricia Ann Black (1956- ), the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007).

Pilgrim was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford, Florida, for the rest of the year. Pilgrim was the son of Harry Black (d. 1911) and Maggie Benjamin Black (ca. 1870-ca. 1934), who migrated to Sanford from South Carolina in the 1800s. Harry and Maggie had several children: Leckward Black, Mustar Black, Malachi Black, Leatha Black Walker (1889-1976), Pilgrim Black, Margaret Black Jones (1889-1976), and Harriett Black Lawson.

In 1911, Harry owned a grocery store at 206 South Sanford Avenue. One day, he came home from work with pneumonia and passed away shortly thereafter. Pilgrim was nine years old when his father passed away. Maggie was the daughter of former slaves, Isaac Benjamin and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Louis Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. Pilgrim had to quit school at age 11 in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18 years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County in Upstate New York to pick cherries, apples, pears, and other crops. He broke a bone after falling from an apple tree his first year and decided to try farm labor on a potato farm in Red Creek instead. Don Holdridge, the farmer who owned the land, noted Pilgrim's high rate of productivity and offered him a management position supervising up to 30 workers at once, which he accepted. Pilgrim also worked as a foreman in Sanford for Chase & Company for over 30 years. He married Lula in 1937 and they had several children together, including Vivian Louise Black (1940-), Lula Yvonne Black (1942-), Charles Samuel Black (1945-), Pilgrim Black, Jr. (ca.1947-), and Patricia.

Patricia was born August 31, 1956, and grew up at the end of East Tenth Street in Sanford, Florida. She attended Hopper Elementary through sixth grade, Lakeview Middle School for seventh grade, Sanford Junior High School for eighth grade, Crooms High School for ninth grade, and Seminole High School through twelfth grade. She also attended school in the North Rose-Wolcott district each year while in New York. During fourth grade, integration began and parents were given the choice to have their children to attend other schools, but Patricia chose to continue attending an all-black school until she entered seventh grade in 1968 and began attending integrated schools.

In June 1973, Patricia married her first husband, Clint Holt (1955- ); however, the couple quickly separated due to domestic violence and divorced around 1977. Patricia gave birth to her first child, Charmion Le'Antwinetta Holt in 1974. She also had three other children with William Bigham, Jr. (1952- ), who she was married to for 33 years: William Arthur Bigham III (1982- ), Brandon Oliver Black (1990- ), and Tempestt Teonte’ Black (1992- ). She lives in the family home built by her grandmother, Maggie Benjamin Black on East Tenth Street in Sanford.

Patricia endured weekly molestation for 11n years from age six to age 17, and was raped at age seventeen while pregnant with Charmion. At age 29, Patricia became severely addicted to smoking cocaine. After seven years, Patricia was able to overcome her addiction and has maintained her sobriety for 21 years. Despite her traumatic experiences, Patricia has developed a devout relationship with God. While in recovery, Patricia refocused her attention on spreading her ministry of love by becoming a foster parent, serving as the Parent Representative of the Committee for Special Education (CSE), and serving on her local school board in the North Rose-Wolcott school district.

Patricia also has owned her own business making incense and importing shea butter from Africa. She also became a licensed nail technician specializing in stress-relieving pedicures. As of 2009, Patricia is retired but still maintains some involvement in her business/ministry named GIFTED.

Black, Patricia Ann

RICHES of Central Florida.

eng

Collection

Madison, Florida

Sanford, Florida

Rochester, New York

Wayne County, New York

Wolcott, New York

Donation

Cepero, Laura

Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black

Coles, Robert. Uprooted Children; The Early Life of Migrant Farm Workers. [Pittsburgh]: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1970.

Piore, Michael J. Birds of Passage: Migrant Labor and Industrial Societies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979.

Flewellyn, Valada S. African Americans of Sanford. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2009.