Punkhouse in the Deep South: The Oral History of 309
with Aaron Cometbus and Scott Satterwhite
Wednesday, October 13
7pm
FREE admission but registration is required (in-person only)
Join us in-person at the Matheson to hear from authors Aaron Cometbus and Scott Satterwhite as they share about their book Punkhouse in the Deep South. In their presentation, Cometbus and Sattewhite discuss the history of the famed “309 Punkhouse,” while shedding light on the largely ignored lives of average punks, living in the oldest punkhouse in the South.
For the safety of staff and attendees, capacity will be limited to 50 people and masks are required. Admission is free but registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/punkhouse-in-the-deep-south-the-oral-history-of-309-registration-164919557837.
Told in personal interviews, Punkhouse in the Deep South is the collective story of a punk community in an unlikely town and region, a hub of radical counterculture that drew artists and musicians from throughout the conservative South and earned national renown.
The house at 309 6th Avenue was a crossroads for punk rock, activism, veganism, and queer culture in Pensacola, a quiet Gulf Coast city at the border of Florida and Alabama. In this book, residents of 309 narrate the colorful and often comical details of communal life in the crowded and dilapidated house over its 30-year existence. Terry Johnson, Ryan “Rymodee” Modee, Gloria Diaz, Skott Cowgill, and others tell of playing in bands including This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, operating local businesses such as End of the Line Cafe, forming feminist support groups, and creating zines and art.
Screening of Behind Closed Doors: The Dark Legacy of the Johns Committee
with the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida
Thursday, October 21
7pm
FREE but registration required (in-person only)
The Matheson History Museum and Pride Community Center of North Central Florida invite you to join them at the Matheson for the screening and discussion of the 2000 documentary Behind Closed Doors: The Dark Legacy of the Johns Committee. This program coincides with one of the Matheson’s current exhibitions – McCarthy Moment: The Johns Committee in Florida.
For the safety of staff and attendees, capacity will be limited to 50 people and masks are required. Admission is free but registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-of-behind-closed-doors-the-dark-legacy-of-the-johns-committee-tickets-174319713957.
This award-winning documentary was produced by Allyson A. Beutke, a graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. The film explores the dark legacy of the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, better known as the Johns Committee, which was created by State Senator Charley Eugene Johns in 1956 to uncover subversive activity in Florida.
From 1958-1959 the Johns Committee tried to weed out Communists and homosexuals from the University of Florida. Committee members threatened people with exposure and prison if they did not cooperate. This reign of terror led to dozens of professors and students leaving the university.
Florida’s Negro War: Black Seminoles and the Second Seminole War
with Dr. Anthony Dixon
Saturday, November 13
4pm
FREE but registration is required (virtual only)
Author and historian Dr. Anthony Dixon will join us virtually via Zoom webinar to share about his book Florida’s Negro War: Black Seminoles and the Second Seminole War on Saturday, November 13 at 4pm.
Registration is free: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dWq35I5sSuuHFggfPBOc5A.
From 1817 to 1858, the United States government engaged in a bitter conflict with the Seminole Nation. This conflict would result in three distinct wars. The Second Seminole War (1835-1842) was conducted under the Indian Removal Policy of the 1830’s. This war was a result of the American plantation societies’ relentless efforts to enslave the Black Seminole population. The United States government’s objective became to return as many Black Seminoles as possible, if not all, to slavery.
Evidence proves that the efforts of the U.S. military to place Blacks in bondage were not only a major underlying theme throughout the War, but at various points, the primary goal. It is clear that from the onset of the war, the United States government, military, and state militias grossly underestimated both the determination and the willingness of the Black Seminole to resist at all costs. Thus, this book not only makes the argument that the Second Seminole War was indeed a slave rebellion, but perhaps the most successful one in United States history.
Featured image: Author and historian Lizzie Robinson Jenkins, courtesy of Cool Blue Photography
