BY DR. REBEKAH MCCLOUD, GUEST WRITER TO THE TIMES
ORLANDO — The Puzzled Peace Initiative held its launch reception on Sunday, September 29, 2024, at the Winter Park Community Center. Nearly 100 guests attended this expression of the community’s collective concern about why teaching African American history and an Advanced Placement course on African American studies have been removed from the public-school curriculum in Florida. This year Florida’s Department of Education also implemented new laws that subsequently led to local school districts banning more than 300 books.
Attendees had the opportunity to decorate and place a puzzle piece into the community puzzle. The event also included nine local artists who artistically expressed their puzzlement over the issue. Featured artist included: Linda Mills Alexander, the first artist to join Puzzled Peace, Donnell Adams, Nicholas Gantz, Toya Flewellyn (who created Puzzled Peace logo), Joy Hayes, Brittany Jones, Patrick Noze, Nicole Persley (COL-e), and Jane Turner. Alexander’s mixed media art piece, “I Am Still Puzzled” was unveiled by the artist. Alexander shared that her beautifully crafted mix media piece inspire by Valada Flewellyn’s poem “Puzzled”. Through her art Alexander is able to share her renewed discovery of the value and beauty of life and the richness in her surroundings. She observes life closely and her art depicts her discoveries. Her intense storytelling calls attention to people and things in our surroundings that might otherwise go unseen. “I Am Still Puzzled” is on display at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center.
The multicultural event opened with a prayer by Reverend Erika Rembert Smith, pastor of the Washington Shores Presbyterian Church and closed with a Baha’i Prayer by Penny Walker. It also included a recognition of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Father of Black History and the celebration of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) Founder’s Day, by ASALH Vice President, Dr. Rebekah McCloud . The audience was treated to a scene snippet from The Fannie Lou Hamer Story, a one-woman play, written and performed by Mzuri Moyo Aimbaye.
“The ‘PUZZLED PEACE PROJECT’ prompted me to not just solve the pieces of a puzzle, but to apply an analytic process in the pursuit of Peace with, ‘Consideration, Concentration, and Commitment’… says Darrell Gray, Vice President African American Historical Genealogical Society Central Florida Chapter.
Puzzle Peace participants from other states included Yolanda Melvin from Cleveland, Ohio and Willetha “Toni” Carter, St. Paul Minnesota traveled specifically to attend the event. “ The exhibit motivates an artistic inquiry of the reasons and impacts of suppressed history in and beyond Florida. It gives us pause to hold a clarifying discussion to pave a positive path forward” shared. Carter. She currently retired, served as Commissioner of Ramsey County for almost 20 years. Carter was the first African American county commissioner in the state of Minnesota. She is well known for her leadership efforts on homelessness, juvenile justice and racial equity.
Prior to the reception, puzzles were given to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations. Several of those completed puzzles were on display at the reception. The project has been displayed at Mt. Olive AME Church (Orlando), the Central Florida Zoo (Sanford), and the Winter Park Library. In the future, the Puzzle Peace fine art, will be featured at the following venues: Eatonville—Cheyenne (Franklin Property), Eatonville Library, and Eatonville Town Hall; Longwood—Dare Books, Sanford – Park Drive Gallery and Longwood – Noze Art Gallery, Winter Park—Girl Scouts of Citrus, Orlando – Wells’ Built Museum of African American History & Culture -Winter Park—Hannibal Square Heritage Center. According to Mrs. Valada Flewellyn, Puzzled Peace exhibits will continue to be displayed until, “teaching African American History in Florida Schools is no longer an issue.”
The puzzle, a metaphor for connectivity, reminds us of the ability to come together and the value of the individual in outcomes that affect issues in a community. This is indeed a puzzling issue; history should leave no one and no story out.
Sponsors for the Puzzled Peace Initiative include, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) the Central Florida Dorothy Turner Johnson Branch, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Central Florida Chapter (AAHGS), The Alliance for Truth and Justice, Bridging the Color Divide and Hannibal Square Heritage Center.
For more information, go to the Puzzled Peace website at www.puzzledpeace.weebly.com.
