Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 2-25-22

Black History: The History Behind The Names
Perry C. Harvey Park
PERRY C. HARVEY, SR.
The Perry C. Harvey, Sr. Park is named in honor of the late Perry C. Harvey, Sr. Harvey was the former head of the ILA, Interna- tional Longshoreman’s Association, Local 1402. He is credited with bringing in the AFL-CIO, which improved the salaries of dockworkers. Harvey led the union for more than 30 years. Harvey died in 1972.
The park borders downtown Tampa and the now defunct, famous Central Avenue Business District. The area consisted of a wide variety of businesses owned and operated by African Americans.
Jackson House
The Jackson Boarding House, 851 E. Zack Street, opened its doors in 1901 to pro- vide shelter for African Ameri- cans during the era of segrega- tion. It re- mained operational until 2005.
The structure was built by Moses Jackson for Sarah, and their 4 daugh- ters. It was passed down to each daughter through time. Sarah Jackson Robin- son, who was born on November 5, 1916, took over management of the property in 1940. She operated the structure until 2005. Mrs. Robinson died in the same room where she was born on August 30, 2006. The house had been operated by five generations of women.
The Jackson Boarding House has provided lodging for such notables as Ray Charles, Count Basie, Cab Cal- loway, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and other African American enter- tainers who vis-
ited the historic Central Avenue Black Business District during segregation. In 2007, the Jackson House was granted its historic status by the U. S. National Reg- ister of Historic Places.
Willie Robinson, the son of Mrs. Sarah Jackson Robinson, took over management of the home after her death. He sold it in January 2014, after it fell into disrepair and he was unable to raise the funding to restore it to code enforce- ment standards.
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