"JHOP tours Midtown."
By Dexter McCree, The Weekly Challenger, Aug. 18, 2017.
(Story appears in Aug. 17, 2017 print edition.)
Excerpt:
"The tour bus started at JHOP and headed east on 7th Avenue. With the principal narrating, he noted Citrus Grove Apartments and a brief history of Bethel Heights. Coming up quickly was Campbell Park Recreational Center where the tennis courts, football field and the swimming pool are named after educator Olive B. McLin.
The trip continued to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street before heading south. The sight of Booker Creek to the immediate left brought out memories and a lot of stories that were put on pause for the sake of time. As the group continued on the historical journey, one of the veteran teachers pointed out the Davis-Bradley building and the connection to former Chief of Police Goliath Davis and for Representative Rudy Bradley.
With the bus heading west on 18th Avenue, it brought into view the James Weldon Johnson Library and the Enoch Davis Center, a frequently used community meeting place. Posted in several lawns were 'Not My Son' yard signs, the city’s campaign to save African-American males. This quickly became part of the travel discussion. The 16th Street corridor introduced the teachers to the Morris Milton Post Office, Connie’s BBQ, the history of Red’s Snak Shak, Melrose Elementary, JHOP’s feeder school in journalism and media studies.
As they made their way over to 22nd Street, the hotel where Negro League Baseball players stayed when they came to town, St. Petersburg College (Midtown campus), the Royal Theater, Galleria 909 and the Creole Café were all pointed out. The final leg of the tour took them past the Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum, Jordan Park School and the interstate that uprooted many families and business, bringing blight to the area."