Jacksonville’s World of Nations Festival event planner brings talents home
River Life Studio, Bradford Environmental Forum, Concerned Citizens of Bradford County Inc., and Alligator Creek Garden Club invite the public to celebrate the rich history of Bradford County’s Black communities at the 2023 Black History Month Celebration – Legacy March. The event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 12–5 p.m. at Old Rec, 908 Florida St. (corner of Florida and Pine) in Starke.
Black History Month, established in 1926 by historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, annually celebrates the achievements and contributions of Black Americans to American life.
The Legacy March, which is the theme for the event, is the brainchild of Starke resident, Ok Sun Burks, the event’s coordinator. For 20 years Burks helped plan the popular African Village pavilion at Jacksonville’s World of Nations festival. It is her studied advocacy of Black American and African cultures that fuels her enthusiasm for “giving back to the community that gave me so much.”
“The inspiration for this event came to me as a self-appeal of what could I do in my community,” said Burks. “The neighborhood where I live and grew up used to be alive with folks, families and thriving businesses. After 50 years some institutions, i.e. churches, barber shops, hairdressers, and a funeral home remain, while small but thriving stores, bars, restaurants, motels, dry cleaners, etc. have disappeared.”
Attendees will experience dancing, stories, drumming, and arts and crafts. They can shop with vendors of African and African-inspired attire, accessories, toiletries, books, plants and foods. There will be opportunities to learn about past and current heroes and sheroes of Bradford’s Black communities.
Additionally, the Legacy March offers an opportunity for attendees to create a keepsake collage of family photos that will be exhibited during a moment of silence to honor residents of the past. All materials for this activity, except copies of pictures, will be provided at no cost.
River Life Studio, a sole proprietorship operated by Ok Sun Burks, and co-sponsors Bradford Environmental Forum, Concerned Citizens of Bradford County Inc., and Alligator Creek Garden Club are hopeful that the communities of Bradford County will join as stakeholders in celebrating Black History Month for years to come.
For more information, contact Ok Sun Burks at [email protected] or 754-703-6678.
