Rosalyn Howard was a committed scholar - and an amazing friend

I hear Dr. Rosalyn Howard's voice in all of the "Looking for Angola" resources that our research team created from the time we began our search in 2005 for artifacts related to the 1800s Black Seminole settlement.

"Dr. Roz" compiled archaeological, cultural and archival evidence of the early 19th century Florida maroon community, formerly located in East Bradenton and in parts of Sarasota. Her fingerprints are on the materials that document Newtown’s 100-year-plus history; indeed, Newtown Alive’s research report, website, book, oral history interviews, podcast series and historic markers all have her stamp of approval.

Sadly, Roz passed away on April 5.

The humanities scholar with cut-to-the-chase candor was an inspiration to me – and to the volunteer researchers who combed Tampa Bay libraries and databases to find primary and secondary source documents about the history of Sarasota's African American community.

Roz sifted through private collections, books, albums, flyers and programs to add historical context to the actions of early pioneers and civil rights leaders such as Lewis and Irene Colson, Leonard Reid, Wright Bush, Emma E. Booker, Mary Emma Jones, Neil Humphrey Sr., John Rivers and Dr. Edward James II.

In order to meet both the standards of humanities research and the city of Sarasota’s deadline for completion of the Newtown Conservation Historic District Phase 1 project, we worked into the wee hours reviewing photos, matching content, posting captions, writing chapters and debating sentence construction.

An accomplished anthropologist

Roz was an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Central Florida specializing in cultural anthropology. Her primary focus was to conduct ethnohistorical studies of the African Diaspora, and the relationships formed by African and Indigenous peoples in the Americas and the Caribbean. In fact, Roz's book "Black Seminoles in the Bahamas" detailed the lives of the Black Seminole descendant community of Red Bays, Andros Island, Bahamas.

For a year, Roz lived among people in the Red Bays village to study their lives, language and struggles. She was also a consultant to a cultural heritage tourism project – co-sponsored by the state of Florida and The Bahamas Ministries of Culture and Tourism – that studied the connections between the Red Bays village and the Gullah community throughout the southeastern United States.

In addition to that important work, Roz also participated in a 2010 distance education project that highlighted the peoples and cultures of South Africa and Swaziland – as well as a 2011 Fulbright-Hays grant project that examined cultural, educational and democratic issues in Botswana.

A memorable trip

I traveled with Roz to numerous conferences, festivals and historical sites. And through it all, I felt privileged to witness a dedicated anthropologist who was deeply committed to her work – yet one who also knew how to have fun once the work ended for the day.

Our trip to Red Bays was eye-opening. While the community offers spectacular views of the ocean, it is tucked away in a remote location that's off the tourist trail and away from the bustle. Before heading there, Roz invited me to an Independence Day celebration in Nassau at the prime minister's compound. The people, music, food and fireworks were lively, spicy and colorful.

We spent an extra day in Nassau and then prepared to depart from an airport full of people who were flying to their "family islands." Our plane was very small, and I was trying my best to calm my nerves about the flight.

Roz, however, assured me that she had made the trip many times before – and the actual flight took less than 30 minutes. Her friend Gerty was at the makeshift airport to meet us, and the two women laughed and caught up on island lore as we made the long (and bumpy) ride to Red Bays.

Once we arrived, I was immediately struck by how beloved Roz was in the village – and how adored she was by people of all ages. She would always fill her luggage with clothes and gifts for the children. And as we explored everything from cemeteries to tiny food shacks, Roz would teach me about the culture, introduce me to various experts and generously share her sense of reverence for the village's history.

Roz was my research partner, my mentor and my friend, and she taught me how to honor diverse people, cultures and history. In the "Newtown Alive" book Roz wrote that it was "an honor to work on the neighborhood history project" and added that we had inspired her. That sentiment was absolutely mutual: It was a true honor to have Roz inspire all of us in our effort to amplify the history of Newtown – and to share why its rich history matters.

Vickie Oldham is president of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition. She is also the founder of Newtown Alive and is helping to spearhead the opening of the historic Leonard Reid House, which will showcase Black arts, culture and history. 

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Rosalyn Howard was a dedicated scholar - and an inspirational figure