Could one of PBC’s first black high schools house black history museum?
Floyd Andrews doesn’t have to struggle to recall his days at Roosevelt High School, one of the county’s first black high schools. He graduated from the school in the 1950s, taught and coached basketball there in the 1960s and now heads up an association trying to make the school site a permanent home for a black historical center.
So the stories and asides came easily during a tour of the old Tamarind Avenue school that he gave Wednesday to Palm Beach County School Board members, part of a push by his organization to win itself a permanent home there.
He pointed out the cafeteria where students used to squeeze in during a single lunch hour. The outdoor courts where the basketball team practiced and if you missed a shot you “had to pay the price.” The airless gym where players sweated and students decked out the space once a year for prom night.
And then there was the room that now houses the focus of Andrews’ efforts: the African American Research Library and Cultural Center of Palm Beach County.
Hundreds of photos, newspaper clippings and mementos fill the room, a collection that Andrews and a group of fellow former Roosevelt High teachers want to house permanently at the site, which years ago was converted into the Roosevelt Full Service Center.
Andrews and other advocates think the small space the library now occupies in the mostly empty facility could be the cornerstone for a vibrant center to educate students and train teachers about the history of the area’s black community.
But for now, Andrews says, “we are in limbo.”
The building’s roof leaks, he says. The air may carry mold. Safety issues could prevent student visits. The research library resides in the center, for now, on an informal basis, without a proper lease or agreement with the school system.
The repairs needed to make it a suitable permanent home will cost money. And money for construction and repairs is something the school board, which owns the building, has very little of. Already, the school system’s budget for fixing schools and equipment is in the red.
After hearing the pitch from Andrews and other advocates, board members expressed enthusiasm for their vision but wondered about the cost. They suggested the group seek money from West Palm Beach and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.
Board member Marcia Andrews, a “proud graduate” of the school herself, pushed for a definitive commitment. Board member Debra Robinson, one of the most vocal advocates for restoring the building, called for all county students to be required to visit.
In the end, the board came to no conclusions about the next step, asking district administrators to come back with a plan. Questions remain about the cost of fixing it up and whether money can be found elsewhere.
Advocates for the library will have to wait, then. Floyd Andrews ended his presentation by taking the long view.
“You know, as I know, that history repeats itself,” he told board members. “And the only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Could one of PBC’s first black high schools house black history museum?
