Walk With Me The new Palm Beach County Black Cultural Heritage Trail initiative provides an insightful look at the role African Americans play in shaping The Palm Beaches BY BRIAN KNOWLES PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL FORTUNE NOW KNOWN AS THE LAKE WORTH BEACH UNITY WALL, THIS BARRIER WAS ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCT-ED IN 1954 AS THE UNOFFICIAL BORDER OF THE OSBORNE COLORED ADDITION. Working in partnership with historical and cultural organiza-tions committed to highlighting Black history in Palm Beach County, local writer, researcher, and educator Brian Knowles dove deep into this topic and spoke with community leaders—all with the goal to create a practical guide to points of interest across the county that illuminates this history and the people behind it. Here, Knowles offers an intro-duction to the trail and reflects upon what the project has meant to him. 24 art&culture T « he phrase “Black history is American history” highlights the significant yet often over-looked contributions of Afri-can Americans to the United States. Traditional narratives emphasize Eu-rocentric perspectives, neglecting the rich and complex histories of African diasporic communities. To fully understand the foun-dations of our society, we must acknowledge and embrace all facets of our history, includ-ing all those who helped shape it. This is true at every level, from national to local. Palm Beach County exemplifies this reality, as our community thrives on the vital contri-butions of people from various backgrounds whose stories deserve to be heard. As a native of Palm Beach County, I ini-tially overlooked the contributions African Americans made to my community—stories frequently omitted from history books and mainstream narratives. However, I was for-tunate to gain some insight into these criti-cal truths, primarily because my family has deep roots here dating back to the nine-teenth century.
Art and Culture Winter 2025: Page 24
