A yard and craft sale, book sale, and barbecue kick off the celebration today. A Feb. 14 ceremony will commemorate a fallen deputy.
By STEPHEN HEGARTY
Published February 7, 2004
ZEPHYRHILLS - Months after Zephyrhills residents attempted to come to terms with racial tensions while naming a street after Martin Luther King Jr., the city will kick off its Black History Month celebration today at the Zephyrhills Depot Museum.
"It's a time for everybody to come together and see their neighbors and have some fun," said Kathleen Burnside, director of library and museum services for the city.
The celebration from 8 a.m. until noon will include a community yard and craft sale, a library book sale, and a barbecue. The festivities will take place in the park behind the depot.
The Black History Month celebration will continue Feb. 14, with a commemorative program dedicated to Charles "Bo" Harrison, an African-American deputy who was shot and killed in Lacoochee in June. Alfredie Steele Jr., who also is African-American, was charged in Harrison's shooting death. Before the shooting, there had been racial tensions between black residents and some sheriff's deputies. Investigators have said Steele's outrage over the death of a friend after a police chase prompted him to shoot at a patrol car outside a nightclub. Harrison was inside the car.
The commemorative program at Zephyrhills City Hall will feature several guest speakers, including Pasco County Sheriff Bob White; the Rev. Eddie Nunn, pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church; and Officer Daniel Hill, the city's first African-American police officer.
The Zephyrhills City Council voted to rename Sixth Avenue as Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, and the first vote in October touched off a controversy as several residents objected. Before the second vote in November, 250 people packed the council chambers. The name change was approved again. Since the controversy erupted, the city formed a group to address racial tensions.
The Feb. 14 commemorative program will run from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. For more information on either event, call (813) 780-0067.
