Jump at the Sun: Zora Neale Hurston & Her Eatonville Roots

FAIN: BH-50302-09

Florida Humanities Council (St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5005)
Ann S. Schoenacher (Project Director: March 2009 to April 2016)

Two one-week Landmarks workshops for eighty school teachers on African-American folklorist and author Zora Neale Hurston and her formative years in Eatonville, Florida.

The two weeklong workshops outlined in this proposal provide K-12 teachers with an interdisciplinary exploration of the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston and the community that formed her identity and fueled her imagination - Eatonville, Florida. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, Eatonville is the oldest incorporated black town in the United States. During each workshop, participants will examine Hurston's accomplishments within the context of the historical and cultural development of Eatonville and grapple with compelling questions about how this unique black enclave fueled her appreciation of folk culture, inspired her literary works, created her racial and gender identity, and formed her sometimes controversial views on race. Organized by the Florida Humanities Council in cooperation with the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community and Rollins College, the workshops are scheduled to occur over two consecutive weeks from June 13-26, 2010.