A Word: The Battle for Eatonville

Slate News

Slate Podcasts

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Folklorist and Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston made her hometown of Eatonville, Florida famous in her writing, including her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. But her fame hasn’t saved the town from the pressures that many African American communities have endured: a population fighting poverty, government indifference, and developers that want to scoop up the land to build housing that current residents can’t afford. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Aallyah Wright, a reporter with Black news non-profit Capital B, who has written about the town’s recent success in resisting developers, and its hopes for the future. Guest: Capital B reporter Aallyah Wright Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Make an impact this Earth Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to bring more parks to more people across the country. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. The historic black
0:06.9	town of Eatonville, Florida, well celebrated in the work of legendary author Zora Neal
0:11.9	Herson. But historic disenfranchisement and pressure from developers have been threatening
0:16.6	the community for decades. Could surviving this latest crisis finally put Eatonville back
0:21.8	on the map?
0:22.8	Most times, developers come in already with this plan of what this community needs, but
0:28.9	they never truly ask the community, what do you need and how can we help you?
0:34.2	Saving historic Eatonville coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson. Stay with us.
0:41.7	This episode is brought to you by Jack Daniels. The best summers are the ones spent in great
0:46.6	company with a great drink and an. Let Jack Daniels flavors be part of the soundtrack
0:51.4	to your summer vibes. Jack Daniels honey and Jack Daniels apple mixed with ice cold
0:56.8	lemonade are easy to drink. Tasty and refreshing. It's Jack Daniels, but not as you know it.
1:04.1	Tap the banner or visit this episode's page to find out more. Please drink responsibly.
1:13.4	Welcome to a word, a podcast about race, impolitex and everything else. I'm your host, Jason
1:17.2	Johnson. In the years after the Civil War, dozens of small communities were founded by formerly
1:22.3	enslaved people. Only a handful of those towns survive in Eatonville, Florida,
1:26.7	with one of the first and perhaps the most famous. Known as the town that freedom bill
1:31.5	Eatonville was immortalized in the stories of native daughter, author, Zora Neal Hurston
1:36.7	and the novel, their eyes were watching God. And in her other writing, while the community
1:41.1	lives on in her words, in real life, Eatonville, Florida is struggling. The town population is
1:46.1	just above 2,000 people and the remaining land is under threat from developers. Although
1:51.5	the latest land grab has fizzled, local activists are looking for ways to revitalize Eatonville
	...

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