Maritime Park Multicultural Center Names Board Including Century Mayor

June 10, 2010

Sixteen Pensacola area businesses, charitable and civic leaders — including Century Mayor Freddie McCall — have formed a development board to help build The Pensacola Multicultural Center which will be operated by the University of West Florida at the Community Maritime Park.

Plans are under way to construct the center, which will focus on Pensacola’s diverse past and present and celebrate the many cultures that make up the Gulf Coast region. The Center will be at the southwest corner of Devilliers and Main Street.

Members of the newly-formed executive committee are:

  • Ellis Bullock III
  • Debbie Calder
  • Carol Carlan
  • Robert de Varona
  • Brunie Emmanuel
  • Teri Levin
  • Kyle Marrero
  • LuTimothy May
  • Freddie McCall
  • Jean Norman
  • Debbie Ritchie
  • Susan Story
  • Sue Straughn
  • Bentina Terry
  • Dr. Ted Traylor
  • PC Wu

“Pensacola has more history than any other city in America,” said Susan Story, a member of the Multicultural Center Development Board and Gulf Power president and CEO. “A rich tapestry of history that all started when Spaniards, Mexicans and African Americans arrived to be greeted by the Native Americans. Other Europeans came later as well as the Vietnamese and other Asians and they all brought different languages, different customs, different food and different ways of life.”

LuTimothy May, also a member of the Multicultural Center Development Board and pastor at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church as well as instructor/advisor at UWF, said celebrating that past is an important part of the center, but it’s more important to have a place to recognize the different aspects of Pensacola’s multiculturalism today.

“This is not a museum focused on artifacts,” said May. “Its focus will be on people and recognizing that all of these differences blended together give us strength as a community. We truly are a tapestry woven with many different threads of many different colors and textures.”

Plans for the center began in 2006 when a community advisory group was formed. That group, comprised of representatives from different ethnic backgrounds, is tasked with developing content for the center, including the stories and exhibits that will be on display.

The center will also include a library and a research center run by UWF and open for students and the public. Also included will be a theater, exhibits, places for storytelling, art exhibits, musical performances and other cultural expressions and a gift shop.

Funding for the center, which is expected to cost around $8 million, will come from private donations and matching funds from the state of Florida. A public fund-raising campaign will be kicked off later this year. dent and CEO. “A rich tapestry of history that all started when Spaniards, Mexicans and African Americans arrived to be greeted by the Native Americans. Other Europeans came later as well as the Vietnamese and other Asians and they all brought different languages, different customs, different food and different ways of life.”

LuTimothy May, also a member of the Multicultural Center Development Board and pastor at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church as well as instructor/advisor at UWF, said celebrating that past is an important part of the center, but it’s more important to have a place to recognize the different aspects of Pensacola’s multiculturalism today.

“This is not a museum focused on artifacts,” said May. “Its focus will be on people and recognizing that all of these differences blended together give us strength as a community. We truly are a tapestry woven with many different threads of many different colors and textures.”

Plans for the center began in 2006 when a community advisory group was formed. That group, comprised of representatives from different ethnic backgrounds, is tasked with developing content for the center, including the stories and exhibits that will be on display.

The center will also include a library and a research center run by UWF and open for students and the public. Also included will be a theater, exhibits, places for storytelling, art exhibits, musical performances and other cultural expressions and a gift shop.

Funding for the center, which is expected to cost around $8 million, will come from private donations and matching funds from the state of Florida.  A public fund-raising campaign will be kicked off later this year.

Pictured: Century Mayor Freddie McCall, shown here at last Monday night’s Century Town Council Meeting, was named to a 16-member development board for the The Pensacola Multicultural Center at the Community Maritime Park in Pensacola. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

4 Responses to “Maritime Park Multicultural Center Names Board Including Century Mayor”

  1. Century Girl on June 13th, 2010 1:31 am

    Well said-Wendy!

  2. David Huie Green on June 11th, 2010 10:15 am

    It’s all part of the mix. If you only do one thing at a time, only one thing at a time gets done. This way many things get done at the same time.

    One thing is certain, if we don’t participate, they’ll forget we exist.

    And who knows, Freddie Wayne may figure a way to throw money and business our way through it–or at least keep it from being taken away from us.

    Say Hi to PC for me.

  3. r u serious on June 10th, 2010 11:37 am

    Why don’t we quit spending money on Parks and the history of Pensacola and start trying to boost our local economy with more buisnesses that will create more jobs

  4. Wendy on June 10th, 2010 8:20 am

    Putting Century’s Mayor on the committee is a thinly veiled attempt to try and make it seem like spending a bunch of money down in Pensacola will somehow help the north end of the county.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News