Exhibit Come to Life: The Untold Story of Black Mandarin

Saturday, February 28, 2026
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Throughout Mandarin Museum & Walter Jones Historical Park
Admission: FREE

Celebrating Black History Month 2026, Mandarin Museum is pleased to partner with FL Blue’s ASPIRE Employee Resource Group to present the 3rd annual Exhibit Come to Life: The Untold Story of Black Mandarin. The public is invited to:

🍊 View Mandarin Museum’s newest exhibits, including The Untold Story of Black Mandarin.

🍊 Visit our historic buildings, including the 1898 St. Joseph’s Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children.

🍊 Museum docents will be available throughout the exhibits and park, welcoming visitors and providing historical interpretation.

🍊 Paint a Black History Month inspired garden rock and help us decorate our gardens!

🍊 Engage with our community partners on the Museum’s front lawn including the Jacksonville Public Library Special Collections and Memory Lab, Gullah Historian Elaine Ford Jackson, Greg Estevez, author of Edisto: Migration to Florida, Black Hikers Unite!, and the Duval County Master Gardeners who will share information with the public.

🍊 At 10:00 am, the Ritz Chamber Players will deliver a stirring performance in the 1898 Schoolhouse. There is limited capacity for this performance. Advanced RSVP required by emailing director@mandarinmuseum.org.

🍊 At 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, the Duval County Master Gardeners will lead a Black horticulture-centric tour of Walter Jones Historical Park, meet at the Pollinator Garden alongside Mandarin Museum.

🍊 At 11:30 am, join us for a Leadership Roundtable – The Power of Community: Black Leadership in Faith and Society – featuring local leaders in the business, education, religious, and nonprofit sectors.

🍊 At 1:30 pm, Ngoma Thunder will close out the performance schedule with traditional African drumming and dancing.

🍊 Visit the Florida Blue/ASPIRE tent for fun and educational giveaways.