7 Questions With Josette Green, St. Petersburg Historian

 

For almost two decades Josette Green has researched St. Petersburg Black history taking every opportunity to learn from the long time African American historians and journalists before her.  She created the St. Petersburg Black History Tours ( Website ) as a volunteer and has led biking and walking tours since 2021.  Each week Josette can be found researching, studying, conducting oral interviews, leading tours and other activities that continue to advance her local historic knowledge and to educate others. At the heart of her work is a strong value for racial equity for her beloved city of St. Pete.

She is a community advocate for her African American neighborhood and is a constant force for removing barriers and taking action on long time issues while constantly learning from her neighbors.

Josette was honored with the city’s “Neighbor with Heart” award by the mayor in May 2022. The tours have been recommended by the New York Times among others. Her work has won city, county and state awards. She has appeared on numerous television segments and in print for her work educating St. Petersburg.

1. How and when did you get hooked on history?  

I have traveled the world for 45 years and always enjoyed learning the history and culture  of a new country. In my anti-racist journey when I realized that my white skin had its own  culture and it was different for dark skin, I was ravenous to learn more. I didn’t have to get on an  airplane and travel to a far off destination. A different culture was in my backyard and learning  could happen right at home. Through that learning I was stunned by the depth of the injustices  that happened to my neighbors and their ancestors. I recognized that learning and teaching the  history could possibly support altering the forward trajectory and make a difference in achieving  social justice.  

Today I immerse myself in everything I can to learn more about the Black culture and  history in St. Pete and beyond. It has added incredible richness to my life. Seven years ago I  moved into a historically Black neighborhood and it was the best decision. I learn from my  neighbors everyday. Their love and embrace of me and all of our neighbors makes this a true  community.  

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?  

The passion for St. Petersburg’s local Black history has resulted in the creation of St.  Petersburg Black History Tours 5 years ago We are a volunteer group that leads biking and  walking tours sharing this impactful history. I am the founder and historian that leads these tours  and I love every minute. It is the most meaningful work I’ve ever done and don’t really think of  myself in retirement. I’ve got work to do!  

3. What role does history play a part of your professional life/career?  

The tours I lead are my professional life now. I love leading every one and meeting the  next new group. My life has never felt more meaningful.  

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?  

Twenty years ago when I immersed myself in studying and researching St. Petersburg’s  local Black history, it was easy to make the connection to the systemic racism in the city today. I  also realized that the history from the founding of the city in St. Pete wasn’t taught and yet it was  foundational to racism today. History is vital to not only understanding the past but the present  and provides guidance to the future. The tours I lead always including facts about systemic  racism in St. Pete today and then 4 action items to improve racial equity. History is vital and  guides us to making progress for the future.  

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?  I am ravenous to learn any aspect of history as it impacts our Black residents in St.  Petersburg. St. Pete is on the bottom of our peninsular county and the first Black resident arrived 

in 1868. It makes defining the time frame and geography very easy for the era and geography I  study.  

6. How did you come to start St. Petersburg Black History Tours and what’s a major story (or  two) of Black history in St. Petersburg that you never tire of telling?  

It was March 2020 and COVID shut everything down. I was a docent at a civil rights  exhibit sharing stories of local Black history and was amazed at the impact on attendees. The  museum closed however I was on fire to keep educating. I looked around and no one was  teaching local Black history and then George Floyd happened. The desire was buring in me to do  something. Early 2021 I had the idea of a bike tour and began putting it together. The first bike  tour was scheduled in September 2021. The media grabbed hold of it and before I knew it I  couldn’t schedule enough tours to meet the demand. St. Petersburg Black History Tours was  born. Three years later the walking tour was added. To date we have led almost 120 tours for  almost 1,500 people who are now taking action for advancing racial equity in our city. Inspiring  people to action is our focus.  

Sharing the life of Black residents at the founding of our city in 1903 is a favorite to share  because its so shocking and fundamental. Black residents could shop in the retail stores but could  not try clothes or shoes on except one day a year when the department store allowed it. White  people would go to City Council and complain about hearing Black people talking and laughing.  City Council had a committee called “Problems with. Colored People” where complaints were  sent. The inhumane treatment of our Black residents is sadly a theme throughout St. Pete history.  The very early history establishes its start.  

7. Today, we are touring Campbell Park. Why is it such a significant spot?  

The early leaders of our city namely the newspaper editor, William Straub, had foresight  to designate the city’s waterfront as a string of parks. However in the founding of the city (1903)  those beautiful parks were only for white residents. The Black community was relegated to  finding their own land for recreation. In the far southwest corner of the city were 16 acres of land  that private property owners were not maintaining. While it was not formerly a park, it was  called the ‘Negro park.” It took almost 50 years when the city purchased the land and on April 4,  1950, the park was dedicated for “the permanent use by the Negroes” and named Campbell Park.  

The stories of the park are a microcosm of the city and display interesting stories of  events and troubling treatment of those that used the land. The stories have never been  researched and need to be shared. Wrapping all of this together is what makes this a significant  spot. The history provides the foundation to the systemic racism of today. Standing on the land  makes the education more powerful. Campbell Park is the heart of the early Black community.  It’s significant in understanding systemic racism today.

7 Questions with Denny Kato, Researcher and Educator on the subject of Japanese-American Incarceration Camps of WWII

Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, Denny graduated from Walnut Hills High School, and received

his BA from the University of Cincinnati. Denny was on active duty with the US Army as a 1LT in

military intelligence. Denny was involved with restaurant management for nearly thirty years.

For twelve years, Denny has been researching the history and events of the Japanese relocation

and the incarceration camps in WWII. He and his wife Janet have visited all ten major camp

locations doing this research project.

Over the past seven years, Denny has been giving lectures on the history of the camps,

nationwide via ZOOM for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) for twenty-eight or so campus

locations. Additionally, he has given live presentations for several venues, notably the Harriet

Beecher Stowe House, the Art Institute of Cincinnati, and the Japan America Society. Most

recently he gave a presentation for a class at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. He has

also been the subject of several video profiles, articles, and radio interviews.  (Facebook Page )

1. How and when did you get  hooked on history?

I have always been a history buff.  My major in college was political science and I really emphasized foreign relations and I took a lot of courses regarding Asian studies and the Middle East.  

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

From a personal view, I have always been fascinated with history as I marvel at what humankind has accomplished but am revolted and repulsed by the human atrocities that man has afflicted on their fellow human beings.  There have been so many millions killed by men for various reasons, none good.

3. How does history play  a part of your professional life/career?

Professionally,  history did not play much of a role.  I was in restaurant management for nearly thirty years and just about everything we did was focused on today and just a little to the future.  History was not a subject that came up very often in our conversations.

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?

 I personally look upon history not only as a reminder of human events, but also as a window to the future. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "What's past is prologue."  

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

American history has always been my favorite genre particularly the Civil War.  Although not an expert by any means of the events that occurred, I have always been drawn to the battlefields and the tactical/strategic aspects of the encounters.  My wife is very sensitive to 'spirits' and once on trip to Washington, D.C. we passed a road and sign that indicated directions to the site of the Fredericksburg battle.  She was sound asleep but suddenly awakened and she said she felt a 'chill' of spirits.  I told her we had just passed by the Fredericksburg battle site.  She had no idea that we were near the battlefield site and I doubt if she even knew of its significance.

6.         What is your specific connection to Japanese-American incarceration camps and how do you explore that interest?

My personal connection to the incarceration camps is that I had seventeen members of my family incarcerated in three separate camps.  It has been only in the past twelve years that my involvement has intensified.  I had just retired and we had planned a trip out west, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Cody, WY.  My wife Janet asked me if I would be interested in attending the Heart Mountain Pilgrimage, an annual event that brought together survivors, descendants and speakers to tour the camp and engage in discussion groups.  In one of those groups that my wife and I attended, the moderator began the discussion with, "So everyone has heard about the Ringle Report?"  I had no clue as to what she was talking about. The Ringle Report, I learned later, was a report compiled by a Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Ringle, USN, naval intelligence, who submitted his report on December 20, 1942 detailing that the Japanese in the US did not represent a threat to the national security of our country.  I was embarrassed that I knew so little about the Japanese incarceration.  My wife and then committed to visiting all ten locations (we did so over the next several years) and after years of neglect, I dedicated myself to finding out my families' involvement in the incarceration.  As I started to learn about my family, I was queried by an old high school classmate if I knew someone who could give a lecture to her art class on the Japanese relocation.  Although I had not developed a presentation, I told her that I would do so, thus began a new direction for me, giving presentations on the Japanese incarceration camps.  I have been giving lectures for about seven years.

Currently I am associated with twenty-eight OLLI organizations nationwide, including Dartmouth, Carnegie Mellon University, American University, Florida State University, and the University of Virginia to name a few.  I also have given in personal lectures for the Art Institute of Cincinnati, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Walnut Hills High School, several library branches, the Japan American Society of Greater Cincinnati, and the University of Florida.  Additionally, I have also been the subject of several video profiles and radio interviews.  So what started as a research project about my families' involvement, morphed into the lecture series that I conduct today.

7.       Why is it important to continue teaching and learning about Japanese-American incarceration?

I used to conclude my presentations with the phrase "NEVER AGAIN".  Unfortunately with current events, our slogan has become "NEVER AGAIN IS NOW". I think it is important to not only educate people with the past events involving the Japanese in WWII, but how we are facing the same circumstances with 'brown people' today.  Many of the laws that were used against the Japanese in 1942, notably the Alien Enemies Act and others, are currently employed by today's ICE and CBP.  For example, even though the McCarren-Walter Act of 1952 granted the Japanese immigrants a path to citizenship, a part of that law has been used by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to deport an immigrant.  It is absolutely frightening to see the similarities of 1942 to today.

Bonus:  In 2022, Kato's wife and daughter published an award-winning children's novel, called Finding Moon Rabbit set at the Heart Mountain camp near Cody, Wyoming.  For more information, go here.

According to Kato:

  When my wife asked me to go to the Heart Mountain Pilgrimage twelve years ago, little did I know that she already had an idea for a story.  She had researched Estelle Peck Ishigo, the Caucasian wife of Arthur Ishigo and their ordeal at the Heart Mountain and had already written a story about a Japanese American girl and her life after camp. But she was working on a 'prequel', the story of a young Japanese American girl and her first year at Heart Mountain.  This historical novel introduces real life characters and stories that actually occurred in the camp.  She decided to involve our daughter Jennifer, an aspiring writer, to join her in this project.  Jan was having difficulty marketing the book because the publishing industry has long sought 'authentic voices' and as soon as they would see that my wife was Caucasian, the doors closed.  She ended up doing a hybrid publication, utilizing a publisher but most of the marketing and promotions we did ourselves.  Now she has two books awaiting publication this year from a mainstream publisher, Reycraft Books.

"Finding Moon Rabbit" is historical, in that information is provided about the incarceration itself.  Jan also uses headlines from the camp newspaper, the "Heart Mountain Sentinel" to start her chapters and provide a reference to the events that happened in the camp.  The middle grade book not only tells the story of a young girl in the camps, but also provides young readers with some history of the relocation and incarceration as well.