This is a Word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. The historic black town of

Eatonville, Florida, was celebrated in the work of legendary author Zora Neal Hurston. But historic

disenfranchisement and pressure from developers have been threatening the community for decades.

Could surviving this latest crisis finally put Eatonville back on the map?

Most times developers come in already with this plan of what this community needs, but they

never truly ask the community, what do you need and how can we help you?

Saving Historic Eatonville coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson.

Stay with us.

Welcome to a word, a podcast about race and politics and everything else.

I'm your host, Jason Johnson.

In the years after the Civil War, dozens of small communities were founded by formerly enslaved

people.

Only a handful of those towns survive in Eatonville, Florida, was one of the first and perhaps

the most famous.

Known as the town that Freedom built, Eatonville, was immortalized in the stories of native

daughter, author Zora Neal Hurston, and the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God and in her other writing.

While the community lives on in her words, in real life, Eatonville, Florida is struggling.

The town population is just above 2,000 people and the remaining land is under threat from developers.

Although the latest land grab has fizzled, local activists are looking for ways to revitalize

Eatonville and preserve it as a historical site and haven for black families.

Joining us to talk about Eatonville is Alia Wright.

She's a journalist with capital B, a non-profit news source for African Americans, and she

...