You may not know it but Bradenton was once a haven for freedom seekers. Enslaved Africans and Seminole Indians settled there a formed a community known as Angola. ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay

Possibility of Bradenton, Florida and Red Bays, Andros becoming sister cities discussed.

An interview with Mr. Jason Brown, Sr. Interview by Donovan Carter, Adolfho Romero, and Ronan Hart. Recorded in Bradenton, Florida, in association with the Return to Angola Festival at Manatee Mineral Spring. Mr. Jason Brown, Sr., talks about his ancestry as a descendant of the maroon community of Angola, located near Manatee Mineral Spring in Bradenton, Florida. An interview as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom project in association with the National Park Service. Produced by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program University of Florida Program director Paul Ortiz, PhD. 352 392-7168 http://oral.history.ufl.edu 241 Pugh Hall University of Florida Cat. No. URP 028 Jason Brown Sr 10-22-2023

An interview with Mr. Kendrick Wallace, Ms. Peggy-Ann Colebrooke, and Sharona Woodside-Barr. Interview by Donovan Carter, Adolfho Romero, and Ronan Hart. Recorded in Bradenton, Florida, in association with the Return to Angola Festival at Manatee Mineral Spring. The group talks about their common ancestry as descendants of the maroon community of Angola, located near Manatee Mineral Spring in Bradenton, Florida. The group is also a descendant of Red Bays on Andros Island, the Bahamas. An interview is part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom project in association with the National Park Service. Produced by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program University of Florida Program director Paul Ortiz, PhD. 352 392-7168 http://oral.history.ufl.edu 241 Pugh Hall University of Florida Cat. No. URP 027 Woodside-Barr Group 10-22-2023

An interview with Mr. Wilton Russell. Interview by Donovan Carter, Adolfho Romero, and Ronan Hart. Recorded in Bradenton, Florida, in association with the Return to Angola Festival at Manatee Mineral Spring. Mr. Wilton Russell, talks about his ancestry as a descendant of the maroon community of Angola, located near Manatee Mineral Spring in Bradenton, Florida. Mr. Russell is also a descendant of Red Bays on Andros Island, the Bahamas. An interview as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom project in association with the National Park Service. Produced by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program University of Florida Program director Paul Ortiz, PhD. 352 392-7168 http://oral.history.ufl.edu 241 Pugh Hall University of Florida Cat. No. URP 026 Wilton Russell 10-22-2023

An interview with Ms. Daphne Towns. Interview by Donovan Carter, Adolfho Romero, and Ronan Hart. Recorded in Bradenton, Florida, in association with the Return to Angola Festival at Manatee Mineral Spring. Ms. Daphne Towns talks about her ancestry as a descendant of the maroon community of Angola, located near Manatee Mineral Spring in Bradenton, Florida. Ms. Daphne Towns is also a descendant of Red Bays on Andros Island, the Bahamas. An interview as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom project in association with the National Park Service. Produced by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program University of Florida Program director Paul Ortiz, PhD. 352 392-7168 http://oral.history.ufl.edu 241 Pugh Hall University of Florida Cat. No. URP 029 Daphney Towns 10-22-2023

Annual Back to Angola Festival 2023, Bradenton, Florida "Honoring the Shoulders We Stand On" ... The Heritage of the Angola Maroon Community 1812 - 1821, Manatee Mineral Springs Park. The event brought together descendants for Red Bays Andros, Florida Seminoles, historians, archaeologists, community leaders. The event is hosted by Oaktree Community Outreach Inc. and supported by donors , sponsors and partners listed at the end of the video Junkanoo Rush Out Participants: Miami Generation and Miami Bahamas Junkanoo Group; Cultural Ambassador Henry Higgins; Festival Event Director Daphney Towns and Audience Participation. Donors & Sponsors: Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, ASALH Grant; Florida Humanities Community Grant; Bradenton Area Convention Center; Walmart, Sams Club; Exceptional Painting; Minister Leonardo Lightbourne Representative for North Andros (Bahamas); Sweet Sparkman Architects & Interiors Partners: Reflections of Manatee; City of Bradenton; Bishop Museum of Science Acknowledgements: “This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASALH or the Department of the Interior.” “Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this [program] do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.”