ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Thursday is the last day to submit feedback for a proposed Florida Museum of Black History.

What You Need To Know

  • An online survey is asking recommendations from Floridians for a new, Florida Museum of Black History on behalf of the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force

  • The task force will take feedback from the survey and use recommendations to draw up a plan for the future museum

  • Terri Lipsey Scott, executive director of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, says now maybe as good of a time as any to have a state level museum dedicated to African American history

The Department of State is distributing the survey on behalf of the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force. That task force will take feedback from the survey and use those recommendations to draw up a plan for the future museum.

It’s a prospect that has some in the historical community excited.

“We have actively been the epicenter, if you will, of African American history and culture here in the Tampa Bay Area,” said Terri Lipsey Scott, Executive Director of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida.

Inside the museum located in St. Petersburg, visitors will find not only historical artifacts but a window to the past.

“When you take a look around at the artifacts that we currently have on display, it speaks to an era of Jim Crow-ism,” says Scott. “The suppression of African Americans and the roles that folks have suggested they played over time.”

The Woodson may also soon be an inspiration for another museum dedicated to African American history. Specifically, at the state level.

“We’re excited for the opportunity and it’s certainly one that we embrace with hopes that it will be elevated to heights that will draw people from across the world,” said Scott. "We’re finally coming of age in recognizing the importance of the preservation, interpretation and education surrounding African American history.”

Right now, 13 locations are on the list for where the new museum could be, including St. Petersburg and Sarasota. Many hope it may further the discussion of African American history here in the Tampa Bay Area.

“It wasn’t until 1976 that we began celebrating Black History Month,” Scott said. “The significance and importance of what we present and preserve in this space is critical and there is a yearning in the hearts and minds of so many to learn more about a history that is rarely told or celebrated.”

The public survey will be available online through tomorrow. Responses will be included in the task force’s report to the Florida Legislature, which will be completed before July 1.

The task force next meets in March.