Historian Minson Rubin honored as a South St. Petersburg Pioneer and Trailblazer

Minson Rubin grew up in the Jordan Park Projects, graduated from Gibbs High School during the segregation era, and after earning a degree in education at FAMU, came back to teach in Pinellas County. A few years ago, he retired from Bay Point Middle School after 33-year teaching career. Along the way, Minson Rubin always had a fascination for local history. He collected memorabilia from the early days of Gibbs High School, the Jordan Park projects, and historic 22nd Street, heart of the old African American business district and the home of the famed Manhattan Casino.

So, it was a great pleasure to see this man, who has done some much to contribute to the good of the community, honored as a Pioneer and Trailblazer by the Jordan Park Projects Nostalgic Association. Minson Rubin was cited among a dozen former Jordan Park Projects residents in the organization's annual Black History Month program.

The Minson R. Rubin Collection is on display at the St. Petersburg College Midtown campus as a major part of the St. Petersburg College Foundation's new exhibition, In Black and White: Stories of 22nd Street South. The exhibition gives a glimpse into everyday life in the South St. Petersburg area during the segregation and civil rights eras. Minson Rubin served as a resource for two books about the African American community in St. Petersburg, Black America Series: St. Petersburg, Florida (2003) by Sandra W. Rooks and St. Petersburg's Historic African American Neighborhoods (2008) by Rosalie Peck and Jon Wilson.