Eatonville, Fla., the oldest incorporated Black municipality in the United States, is celebrating Black history throughout 2025 with a variety of events and initiatives.
For those who have meetings in the greater Orlando area and are looking to incorporate some community-based activities exploring African American history and culture, nearby Eatonville, Fla., the oldest incorporated Black municipality in the United States, offers a variety of events that explore Black history year-round.
Founded in 1887 by 27 freed, formerly enslaved people who wanted to form a safe and self-governing community, Eatonville represents a pioneering example of Black self-governance and independence in the post-Civil War era. The town has maintained much of its historic character — some of the 48 historic buildings in the Eatonville Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, date back to the town’s beginnings — and can provide attendees on group outings a glimpse into early African American community life. Eatonville also has secured grants for everything from renovation projects and infrastructure upgrades to creating new technology hubs to both grow the town and preserve its unique history.
That unique history also happens to include being the childhood home of celebrated author, folklorist and anthropologist of the Harlem Renaissance Zora Neale Hurston. Perhaps Hurston’s most famous work, Their Eyes Were Watching God,” was strongly influenced by her experiences growing up in one of the first all-Black incorporated towns in the U.S., a place that strived to be free from much of the oppression experienced in other areas after the Civil War.
The town holds an annual ZORA! Festival in February, Black History Month. The festival draws more than 100,000 visitors to join in the celebration of African American arts, history and culture through museum exhibits, historical tours, stage performances and a three-day Outdoor Festival of the Arts. The town also held a Black History Speaks Series in February, which showcased music, dance, poetry and other artistic exhibitions.
Other events held in Eatonville include a Founders Day Celebration, usually held in August, that marks the town’s establishment in 1887 as an independent African American community. But even without a festival, Eatonville has much to offer groups that want an off-site adventure with a side order of education — and the opportunity to check out Club Koha (which stands for Keeping Our History Alive), a nightspot whose history includes performances by artists including Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway and BB King, among others.
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