The Story of Bernadette Reeves About Black People in St. Augustine, Florida

“Moving on for peace and coming back for bliss” Bernadette Reeves seemed modest and friendly, with the personality of a fourth grade teacher from the first impression. However, when she talks about the history of St, Augustine, her tone and her overall personality would be surprising for some. Being a mother, grandmother, and a wife with valuable information that one can’t simply find in a museum or be in a book. She is one of the very few people left that acknowledges what happened during the civil rights movements in the 60’s, being a resident of St. Augustine as a teen, she recalls as a time where white people could spit in her face, call her slurs and she had to just stand there and take it or suffer in more ways than one. For instance, on top of being beaten, families losing their jobs and being non-rehireable if word gets around, causing them to leave town, that is, if the towns white business owners, policemen, and even housewives, didn’t run them out of town first. Understandably, this was very traumatizing for her, she later fled to New York with her now husband.

Despite her attempts to leave and forget what happened there, she always finds her way back to the small historical town, no matter how hard she tries to get away. “New York was nice for a while, getting married and starting a family and all.” Then, she thought one day, “But who knows about what happened to us, down in St. Augustine?” She realized while she had her family and peace at last, she also noticed the newer generations not knowing about black history besides Dr. Martin Luther King. This is what finally brings her back with sturdy feet planted in the ground with no fear, is her hope for the future youth. She wants them to know history, and to have pride in themselves and not to be ashamed of who they are, and that “No matter what people try to tell you. THEY DO SEE COLOR!” She exclaims firmly. While most of the world on the outside has progressed somewhat when it comes to race and diversity, St. Augustine is a time rip; a blast to the past of the times of racial discrimination and bigotry.

Though our history books cover slavery and the progress of blacks, it has led the majority of the population to believe that racism is over and places like St. Augustine doesn’t exist. However, this belief could possibly be the reason that places like St. Augustine, Florida is currently thriving as a tourist location for shopping and trolley train history tours. Luckily, Ms. B has found her niche in that industry, by being a tour guide with first-hand accounts of the civil rights movements where she calls “the most segregated in US history in the 60’s” from protesting as a teen, to the consequences of protesting, and the violence that was bestowed on black people by the town. She is very passionate about educating people about the history of St.

Augustine, and being the only person who does and has done this tour for the past 16 years, she is very confident that she offers something different than all of the other historical tours, not only due to the different subjects that are talked about on them but as well as first-hand accounts and stories along with pictures and news articles from when she was a teenager. This alone is much more than most tours offer. Mostly due to the fact that a lot of historians either can’t relate or connect to what they study, or that all the information that they have doesn’t go beyond books and essays they’ve read. With this being said, it seems like this position has been tailored specifically for Ms. B. She wants us to remember the past that a lot of people want to forget, so that it doesn’t happen again. Gifted with the ability of story-telling and getting her point across with her cheerful, eccentric personality, Bernadette is one of a kind. Full of history, fun, and high hopes for the generations of the future.

Reference:

1. Reeves, Burnadette. Personal Interview. 8 June 2018.