Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 8-14-18

Features
Presentation At Museum Discusses Oldest Christian Marriage
Experiences With ‘Beautifully Unblemished’ Skin Led To Founding Of Support Group
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
The oldest Christian marriage documented anywhere in the continental United States took place in the fall of 1865 in St. Augustine – and the wife was a free Black woman named Luisa de Abrego.
Ms. de Abrego was a domestic who had traveled earlier that year from Seville, Spain, with her husband-to-be – a blacksmith named Miguel Rodriguez – on a conquistador’s ex- pedition to Florida.
The marriage is notable for not only being the first recorded, but also because of its inter- racial makeup, said Michael Francis, a his- tory professor at the University of South Florida – St. Petersburg.
Francis is the executive director of laflorida.org, a digital archive of early Ameri- can History. The de Abrego story was part of his presentation – “Before Jamestown: Euro- peans, Africans, and Indians in La Florida” – hosted Sunday at Sulphur Springs Museum and Heritage Center.
The website documents Florida History with a special emphasis on 16th century with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. Much of that history has been pieced together using records from the Catholic Church, including baptisms, Francis said.
According to the marriage record, Ms. de Abrego is described as “a woman of color... free,” he said.
The site features collective biographies of some 3,000 people, including the conquista- dors and the people who crossed the Atlantic Ocean with them.
Not much is known about de Abrego’s life before she came at the age of
19 to what is now Florida. She
and Miguel married within
months of their arrival and
were married for 10 years be-
fore a scandal broke them
apart, according to a video se-
ries linked to the site.
Years prior to her marriage to Rodriguez, de Abrego had accepted the proposal of a free Black man named Jor- dan. The two exchanged vows, but there were no wit- nesses to the union.
Ms. de Abrego fell ill shortly after the wedding and Jordan left her to marry an- other woman. She moved to Seville, met Rodriguez, and came with him to Florida.
The pair later moved to Mexico, where the capture of a bigamist led her to question the validity of her marriage to
LUISA de ABREGO
Rodriquez. She was prompted to confess; her story somehow was shared with church au- thorities and de Abrego was charged with bigamy.
After a year-long investigation, the charges were dropped, but de Abrego and Ro- driguez were declared no longer married. And while Rodriguez was free to marry again, de Abrego remained legally tied to Jordan.
Ms. de Abrego’s story is just one of an es- timated 12,000 that have been identified using old records. More of those biographies will be posted as researchers work to uncover their stories, Francis said.
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Organization aims to educate communities about skin disease.
When Mrs. Tonja L. Johnson first started losing the color of her skin, she and her supportive family did not know what was going on. But, they were determined to find out.
Once she was diagnosed with Vitiligo in 2014, Mrs. Johnson went on the chal- lenging search to find a sup- port group, “to deal with the mental stress you go through.” None was found in Florida.
In 2017, she founded “Beautifully Blemished Vi- tiligo Support Group,” which now has about 15 members. The support group operates under Vit Friends out of Boston, MA. There are about 12 states that have support groups.
The mission of “Beauti- fully Unblemished” is to in- spire and empower individuals in embracing the physical changes affected by Vitiligo. The mission of the organization is promoting Vi- tiligo awareness, improving self-c0nfidence and quality of life in those affected.
Mrs. Johnson says her motto is “My spots don’t de- fine me because I am fearfully and wonderfully made!!!”
According to Mrs. John- son, “Vitiligo is an auto-im- mune disease characterized by patches of the skin losing pigment. The patches of skin affected become white and usually have sharp margins. The hair from the skin may also become white. Inside the mouth and nose may also be involved. Typically, both sides of the body are affected. Often the patches begin on areas of skin that are exposed to the sun. It is more notice- able in people with dark skin.”
She has a very aggressive form of Vitiligo. Today, she is 70-80% covered with white patches, but has learned to embrace the skin she’s in.
She has persevered through many obstacles in life, which has fueled her pas- sions. She is a married mother of one young-adult
MRS. TONJA L. JOHNSON
daughter and currently re- sides in Lakeland, Florida.
Professionally, she serves as the Dental Program Man- ager for the Florida Depart- ment of Health in Polk County and has an extensive background in public health service.
She is an active member of Plant City Christian Center, The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Polk County Chapter, and serves as a Board Member for Building Strong Families, Inc.
Mrs. Johnson is work- ing diligently to promote vi- tiligo awareness to the Central Florida area. She is hosting a support group meeting on Saturday, August 25, 2018. The meeting will be held at the Robert W. Saun- ders, Sr. Library, 1505 N. Ne- braska Ave., Tampa, 1-3 p. m.
Mrs. Johnson has so- licited the services of 2 pro- fessionals to make presentations to those in at- tendance. Dr. Julia Funeri of Legends Dermatology, and Beverly Dodson, BSN, RN, ASQ, CQIA, a Registered Nurse Consultant, will ad- dress those in attendance.
To RSVP to the meeting, email: info@beautifullyblem- ished.com or call (813) 390- 9180.
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