Arthrese Lacey still remembers the sting of racism.
She was 16 years old when she and three other Black teenagers were refused service at a small coffee shop in Virginia because of the color of their skin.
The Village of Newell resident said it’s important to talk about the past — the good, the bad and the ugly — to ensure such dark moments don’t repeat themselves.
“We all need to remember where we came from,” Lacey said. “Knowledge is power and if you use power in the right way, you can achieve anything. If we examine (history), talk about it and educate ourselves about what happened, then we will know where we were and where we want to go.”
Lacey, who has a passion for researching Black history and inspiring young people to educate themselves, helped organize The African American Club of The Villages’ Black History Month program that took place Wednesday evening at La Hacienda Recreation.
The program featured a performance by members of Portraits of The Word Praise Dancers from the local Bible Teachers International, a speech about the need to preserve the history of Royal and a presentation by University of Florida professor, Dr. Sharon Wright Austin.
Lorraine Hinds, chairperson of the club’s membership committee, emceed the event, encouraging attendees to “Experience the oneness we share because of our history and culture.”
“Take home the memory of being together with family tonight,” the Village of Dabney resident said.
Bridging the generational divide, six teenagers from the Bible Teachers International church in Leesburg performed a praise dance routine. Repeating phrases like “Pray for our enemies” and “Love those who hate us,” the performers used dance and short speeches to tell the story of three boys who were refused service at a restaurant because they were Black and the differences in how they responded to the experience.
Lacey said the performance made her recall her own difficult experience and the emotions behind it.
“I was afraid then, because I had never faced racism before,” Lacey said. “When she said ‘We don’t serve your kind here,’ I didn’t know what she meant by my kind until we looked at each other. I grabbed my bag and I left because I was young and scared. It’s important to talk about (these experiences) and understand that we all take things a different way. When you see it or feel it, or are exposed to it, you should talk about it so you understand exactly what happened.”
Formed in 1865 by freed slaves from the old Green Plantation on the Withlacoochee River, Royal is home to residents who have lived on 40-acre plots distributed by special order after the Civil War.
A native of Royal, Beverley Steele presented the its history of being the state’s oldest-surviving Black homesteading community.
“Some of us in Royal still hold our land,” she said. “There are 3,501 acres generationally owned in the boundaries of Royal. We are only one of two locations like this, with the other being Nicodemus, Kansas. They only have seven original families sitting on their land from the Civil War.”
“(Royal) is a great story and it’s a unique story — but this is my life,” Steele said. “I haven’t lived many other places outside of Royal. Historic preservation is taking a big hit and we are being encroached on in Royal. In order to continue the legacy while living the dream of freedom we have to shut out all the noise. We have to remind ourselves of what our forefathers and foremothers went through. If we don’t, it will eventually all fade away and it will disappear. Remember this it our life and our history. We can’t let it be silenced.”
Austin, the evening’s keynote speaker, closed out the event with a presentation about the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died on Feb. 17. She shared Jackson’s quote, “I’m a public servant, not a perfect servant.”
“It shows you don’t have to be perfect if you want to be a servant, because none of us are perfect,” she said.
Michelle Coley has helped organize the Black History Month event for TAAC for the past two years. Coley, of the Village of Newell, said February 2026 allowed people a chance to intentionally acknowledge a century of celebrations. This year marks 100 years since Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week in 1926 and 50 years since President Gerald Ford issued a proclamation recognizing Black History Month in 1976.
“I would like people to walk away with a sense of empowerment, new information, peace, love and excitement,” Coley said. “I think all that will create happiness in the spirit and soul. The history of Black people is so rich, yet we tend to only hear the same names. There are so many other people who have done so much with Black history and all of our history. It’s a celebration of this knowledge.”
Dr. Carrie Dixon, president of the TAAC, said it’s imperative to talk about Black History because it’s American history.
“It is important for America to know and recognize its true history,” Dixon said. “That is the contributions of all Americans to the formation, continuation and molding of American history — especially including African Americans. Given that African Americans have been written out of history books, many Americans are unaware of the contributions of 20% of the nation’s population and that’s sad. We need to have events such as Black History Month to educate our country about our history. It’s significant so we don’t live in ignorance.”
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
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