VERO BEACH — The Emerson Center Florida Humanities Series, sponsored by Marine Bank & Trust, continues on Thursday, January 20 with “The Role of African-Americans in Civil War History” with storyteller Mary L. Jackson Fears. Free admission to the performance, which begins at 7 p.m., will be offered on a first-come first-served basis. Fears is a retired Volusia County school media specialist and graduate of Bethune-Cookman University and Florida State University. She is a professional storyteller, Civil War re-enactor, genealogist, and author of four books: The Jackson-Moore Family History and Genealogy, Slave Ancestral Research-It’s Something Else, Julie’s Journey and Civil War and Living History Reenacting About “People Of Color,” How to Begin – What to Wear – Why Reenact?
Mary Fears specializes in telling stories based upon historic documents, rather than fictionalized versions of African-American History in Florida public schools. For over thirty years, she has written and directed plays, presented storytelling performances in numerous schools, churches, colleges, museums, and historic sites supported by civic, social and religious organizations. She is committed to telling African-American history stories for the education of all listeners.
The Florida Humanities Series, presented by The Emerson Center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vero Beach, presentations all relate to Florida history and issues.
Other upcoming performances include:
“The Freedom Riders” by American South specialist Raymond Arsenault, Ph.D., on February 10;
“Florida’s Delicious History: A Gastronomic Journey Through Modern Florida,” a history of Florida’s restaurants and food culture with Andrew Huse on March 10, and
“The First Hollywood: Movie-making in Jacksonville, Florida,” on April 21 with award-winning author and nationally recognized magazine writer Shawn Bean.
Reserved seating for season ticket holders of the Celebrated Speakers Series will be offered with prior telephone arrangements.
For more information, call 772-778-5249.