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https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/files/original/198455eff42f20859145d04f634824a8.jpg
6a4f72aeae75a118824e9b58fc3b412f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Patricia Black Collection
Alternative Title
Black Collection
Subject
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.)
Description
Collection of photographs and ephemera donated by <a title="Photo of Patricia Black" href="http://s2.postimg.org/4mpxwg2u1/P3212376.jpg">Patricia Ann Black</a> (1956- ), the daughter of Pilgrim Black (1905-2002) and Lula Mae Haynes Black (1917-2007). <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.
Contributor
Black, Patricia Ann
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Madison, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Rochester, New York
Wayne County, New York
Wolcott, New York
Accrual Method
Donation
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>.
Source Repository
Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black
External Reference
Coles, Robert. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/67637" target="_blank"><em>Uprooted Children; The Early Life of Migrant Farm Workers</em></a>. [Pittsburgh]: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1970.
Piore, Michael J. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/4497409" target="_blank"><em>Birds of Passage: Migrant Labor and Industrial Societies</em></a> Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979.
Flewellyn, Valada S. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/4497409" target="_blank"><em>African Americans of Sanford</em></a>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2009.
Document
A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text.
Original Format
1-page typewritten letter on Florida Industrial Commission letterhead
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
Letter from A. Worley Brown to Pilgrim Black (May 21, 1962)
Alternative Title
Letter from Brown to Black (May 21, 1962)
Subject
Sanford (Fla.)
Upstate New York (N.Y.)
Migrant workers
Farm laborers
Description
Letter of correspondence from A. Worley Brown, chairman of the Florida Industrial Commission, to Pilgrim Black written on May 21, 1962. In the letter, Brown informs Black that he has been scheduled for summer agricultural labor outside of Florida, as approved by the Florida State Employment Service. <br /><br />Pilgrim Black was born in 1905, although some records list 1907 as his birth year. Pilgrim and Lula Mae Haynes Black were migrant crew leaders, and thus migrated to Wayne County in Upstate New York in the summers and back to their home in Sanford 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 and Roseanna Benjamin, and the sister of Nathan Benjamin, Pledge Benjamin, Sam Benjamin, Loui Benjamin, Chainey Benjamin, Lara Benjamin, Melvina Benjamin, and Katie Benjamin. <br /><br /> Pilgrim had to quit school at age eleven in order to provide for his mother, originally working in a mill house until he was 18n years old. After declining a management position, he traveled to Wayne County 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, New York, 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 thirty workers at once, which he accepted. <br /><br /> While in Sanford, 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 Ann Black (1956- ).
Type
Text
Source
Original letter from A. Worley Brown to Pilgrim Black, May 21, 1962: Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from A. Worley Brown to Pilgrim Black, May 21, 1962.
Coverage
Tallahassee, Florida
Sanford, Florida
Creator
Brown, A. Worley
Contributor
Black, Patricia Ann
Date Created
1962-05-21
Format
image/jpg
Extent
112 KB
Medium
1-page typewritten letter on Florida Industrial Commission letterhead
Language
eng
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by A. Worley Brown and owned by Pilgrim Black.
Inherited by Patricia Ann Black in 2002.
Rights Holder
Copyright to the resource is held by Patricia Ann Black and is provided here by <a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a> for educational purposes only.
Accrual Method
Donation
Contributing Project
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/72/" target="_blank">Patricia Black Collection</a>
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/map/" target="_blank">RICHES MI</a>
External Reference
Coles, Robert. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/67637" target="_blank"><em>Uprooted Children: The Early Life of Migrant Farm Workers</em></a>. [Pittsburgh]: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1970.
Piore, Michael J. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/4497409" target="_blank"><em>Birds of Passage: Migrant Labor and Industrial Societies</em></a>. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979.
Transcript
FLORIDA INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION
TALLAHASSEE
STATE OF FLORIDA
FARRIS BRYANT
GOVERNOR
A. WORLEY BROWN
CHAIRMAN
BURNIS COLEMAN
GENERAL COUNSEL
5-21-62
Dear Pilgrim
You are just completing, or have completed, the 1961-62 agricultural harvest season here in Florida. The efforts by you and your crew members working in agriculture have assisted our florida growers in completing another harvest season.
Through the recent pooled interviews, arranged by the Florida State Employment Service, summer work has been scheduled for you outside of the State.
In your work associations this summer it is hoped that you will be a Florida ambassador and carry our story of agricultural labor needs to other fellow crew leaders who do not have work commitments in our State this winter. Encourage them to contact their nearest State Employment service or the Florida State Employment Service for florida harvset work during the 1962-63 harvest season.
Sincerely,
A. Worley Brown
Chairman
Is Part Of
<a href="https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/collections/show/72" target="_blank">Patricia Black Collection</a>, RICHES of Central Florida.
Source Repository
Private Collection of Patricia Ann Black
agriculture
Bigham, Patricia Ann Black
Black, Patricia Ann
Black, Pilgrim
Brown, A. Worley
Bryant, Farris
Coleman, Burnis
employment
farm labor
Florida Industrial Commission
Florida State Employment Service
harvest
labor
laborer
migrant labor
migrant worker
New York
Sanford
State of Florida
Upstate New York