Lake Apopka Farmworkers Visit Their Quilts at the Orlando Regional History Center

Lake Apopka farmworkers Linda Lee, Betty Dubose, Geraldean Matthew, and Mary Ann Robinson, along with three youth from the community and Rollins College volunteer, Dustin Baetz, visited the powerful "And, Still We Rise" exhibit this past Sunday, April 26th at the Orange County Regional History Center in downtown Orlando. The exhibit is a collection of some 70 hand-made quilts by African American Quiltmakers on the themes of the African American experience in America from slavery to the present, including a quilt in honor of the Tuskegee (birthplace of Betty Dubose) airmen and of Congresswomen Shirley Chisholm, among many others.  

Linda Lee and Gereldean Matthew talk to onlookers about their quilt.

The highlight for the group was to see the Lake Apopka Farmworker Memorial Quilts - both the Red Quilt and the Blue Quilt - along with the quilt brochures - on display in a room adjacent to the main exhibit and alongside an exhibit on the local history of African Americans in neighborhood communities of Orange County. The women were proud to see their quilts on display in conjunction with this noteworthy new and stunning exhibit of quilts that made Orlando its first stop in its scheduled nationwide tour. May 2nd is the final day of the exhibit and the Lake Apopka Farmworker Memorial Quilts will be looking for new venues in Florida to bring their message and their display.

Linda Lee, Betty Dubose, and volunteer Dustin Baetz at the exhibit.