“Remember the Time”—Michael Jackson’s Central Florida Ties To Be Celebrated
The Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture at 511 W. South Street in Orlando, will collect memorabilia and artifacts of the late Michael Jackson on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Collected items will be included in an exhibit to honor Jackson and his ties to Central Florida. Jackson was a frequent visitor to Orlando for years when he lived in the Michael Jackson Suite at the Walt Disney World Royal Plaza.
One of Jackson’s major ties to Central Florida was Mr. Plinnie Thompson of Rudy and Plinnie’s Hair Salon on South Orange Blossom Trail. Thompson groomed the superstar’s hair during his stays in Orlando and will be present at the Wells’ Built for the memorial to Michael Jackson which will be beamed live from the Museum. Individuals who have Michael Jackson memorabilia which they wish to contribute to the exhibit are asked to bring the items to the Wells’ Built during the Jackson memorial.
The Wells’ Built was a property of Dr. William Monroe Wells, an African American physician who came to Orlando in 1917. Dr. Wells owned the South Street Casino located at 519 W. South Street where he booked big bands like Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Billie Holliday. He constructed the Wells’ Built Hotel to provide lodging to African American entertainers and dignitaries who could not stay in other facilities during the era of racial segregation.
The Wells’ Built is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now operated as the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture. Wells’ Built Museum Founder and Florida State Representative Geraldine F. Thompson said, “it is important that young people and all individuals realize that Michael Jackson crossed racial lines that just several years earlier would have restricted him and other African Americans to the ‘Chitlin Circuit’ and segregated hotels, like the Wells’ Built.” Thompson added, “The Florida Legislature’s recent public apology for slavery highlights the need for this event and others like it which celebrate the removal of racial barriers and the lives of trailblazers like Jackson who obliterated these walls of exclusion. The life and music of Michael Jackson, an American icon, will be appropriately celebrated at the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture.”
Memorial Celebration & Collection of Michael Jackson Memorabilia
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Words from Mr. Pliny Thompson, former Jackson hairstylist at 4:00pm
Wells’ Built Museum
511 W. South Street
Orlando, Florida
For further information, contact Brittany Thomas at 407-245-1511 or [email protected].
