Growing up in Narcoossee, Jennifer Paul spent time sitting under an oak tree with her father, her grandfather, and her grandfather’s brother, talking about life. She became curious about what life had been like for them through the years and started asking questions.
She heard tales of going to church as a family, with some of the children riding in a mule-drawn wagon and the rest walking alongside; of having to fill large tubs with water so their mother could do the wash; of walking five miles to school. These stories bore an underlying note of respect and love for family. There were other stories, however, that described a time when this region was still racially divided.
“I have an uncle who was 92 years old, and he passed away last year. He was the oldest in the family,” Paul said. “One thing he told me was, growing up in Narcoossee, he went with one of his friends, which happened to be a Caucasian, [to a] bar that was on Narcoossee Road. They stopped there to get lunch one day, and the owner told my uncle that he couldn't go into the front door. He had to go into the back door. My uncle's friend said, ‘Well, if he can't come through the same door that I'm coming through, then we won't eat here at all.’ And so they left and went somewhere else.”
Paul was elected to St. Cloud City Council last fall as the first African-American council member in the town’s 113-year history.
“As I was out campaigning, meeting different people every day, having conversations, sharing, asking them what are some of the concerns that they have here in the St. Cloud community,” Paul said, “some of the concerns, and it was not only with one resident, just knowing about the history, had they learned about it. St. Cloud would have never been an option for them to move here. And I'm like, everyone should be able to come to St. Cloud and feel welcome.”
She said she’d recently seen a social media post claiming St. Cloud’s place as a “Sundown Town” — those that excluded non-whites from remaining in town after sunset, keeping the resident population overwhelmingly white.
“It said St. Cloud was a town with no diversity,” Paul said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Over time, St. Cloud has undergone a wonderful transformation. Our citizens are a vibrant tapestry of cultures with a rich heritage that celebrates our differences. Things have certainly changed since Soldier City was founded in 1911,” Paul said.
In an effort to denounce that reputation, Paul sponsored a proclamation at the City Council meeting Thursday night, recognizing and denouncing St. Cloud’s historical reputation as a Sundown Town and its “renewed commitment to positive unity” as a “vibrant, diverse community that embraces inclusivity and welcomes all residents, businesses, and visitors.” The proclamation, requested by the NAACP Osceola County Branch, was unanimously approved by the members of the Council in front of a packed City Hall council chamber.
Nina Hill, president of NAACP Osceola, said, “We don’t have to go back and look at history. We’re making history today. We're all looking forward to working together, moving forward together to accomplish the same goal: being kind to one another, working together, and making sure that the generations that's coming behind us see what we have done this day.”
