Historic Eatonville is the hometown of literary icon Zora Neale Hurston, who has made the community known around the world as “the first incorporated African-American town in the United States.” Zora often referred to Eatonville as her “Native Village” and we like to think that Eatonville can become Central Florida’s very own Wakanda.
Wakanda is the fictional home of the Black Panther character in the Marvel comic book series and movie. Set in the continent of Africa, Wakanda is home to 5 tribes, each with a distinctive culture and style. As we look to build up community support and raise funds for historic Eatonville, we would like to challenge you to build your own tribe, drawing inspiration from the pride and camaraderie that Wakanda tribes showcased!
It’s time to bring that same shoulder-shaking energy to Central Florida, in support of a non-fictional black town, right in our backyard!
Here’s how you can get started:
- Gather friends and family who are excited about preserving this historic town. This is now your tribe. Together you will raise funds for Eatonville!
- Visit our fundraising page to build a team and create your own personalized fundraising page.
- Share your fundraising page with everyone you know both online and in real life.
- Take cool photos of your “tribe” and share them on social media using #EatonvilleForever. We’ll share our favorites!
Want to raise funds on your own? Learn how to become a villager in support of rebuilding Eatonville Florida.
The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (P.E.C.), founded in 1987 and incorporated by the State of Florida in 1988, was organized to protect this historic community from a community-busting highway project and to advance the process needed to preserve the town for posterity. Perhaps best known for its development of the annual, award-winning Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA! Festival), which was first presented in 1990, P.E.C. has been able to identify two significant paths to ensure the community’s future: the excellent preparation of its children for academic success, thus ensuring their ability to secure 21 st century well-paying jobs and cultural heritage tourism, an economic catalyst for Eatonville’s future.
Please visit preserveeatonville.org to learn about this grassroots organization which has established a track record of excellence based upon heritage, education, and the cultural arts.
The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.) is a tax-exempt, 501 © (3) organization (FEIN: 59-2952662). Contributions to P.E.C. are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
