TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Housing Authority and the Tampa Bay History Center are teaming up to open Tampa’s first Black History Museum. This museum will give residents a front-row seat to the history that unfolded right here in Tampa.
“I always say Black history is Tampa history. We were there when every significant activity took place in this town and we are still here,” said Fred Hearns, curator for Black history at the Tampa Bay History Center.
Hearns is collecting artifacts that will help tell the story of Black history to put in the museum. One of those artifacts is a letterman jacket from Leroy Long.
He played all four years of high school, then went on to get a scholarship to play at Florida A&M University.
“I kept my high school letterman jacket. At the time, you’d get one if you were the best player in the sport,” Long said.
His letterman jacket is just one of the many pieces that will sit inside the Black History Museum. Long is ecstatic about the history that will be shared with people in our community.
“It’s one of the best things we can do in this city, make our young people aware of what went down back in the day by having this museum,” Long said.
The museum is set to open on June 19, 2026.
The Tampa Bay History Center is still collecting pieces from people in our community to put in the museum. If you have something that may be of interest, click here to reach out to the history museum.
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