Through spotlighting visionaries who’ve made a significant, lasting difference in society, we’ve had the privilege of speaking with Vickie Oldham.
President and CEO of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, consultant for the Newtown Alive project, and winner of the 2018 Unity Awards, Vickie has paved an impressive legacy of cultural education and understanding. While empowering the historically disenfranchised, she bridges people and communities together through history and communications.
Through her philosophy and work, Vickie inspires people to be curious, to listen, and—most importantly—to learn.
The Power of Youth
When asked about what she wished more people knew about Black history, Vickie highlighted how “young people were on the forefront of community transformation.”
Young people led beach desegregation. Young people led the NAACP in Sarasota. Young people organized student protests when the school board threatened to close all the neighborhood schools in Newtown. And young people set up freedom schools, and then taught in those freedom schools.
Even today, young people are continuing to be both the spark and niter that ignites lasting change.
“The power of youth is incredible.”
But Vickie emphasized that it’s not just younger generations that should be involved in this new wave of the civil rights movement. “All of us are going to need to be involved in order to secure the rights that the first wave earned for us.”
A Story Archeologist
Vickie Oldham has dedicated her life to telling the forgotten and often buried stories of her community through the Newtown Alive Project. She and her team help communities recover their history and tell the “often underreported stories that nobody has taken the time to document.”
One of the highlights of her career is being able to “comprehensively document a community’s history using multiple platforms to tell the story.”
Her work with Newtown Alive combines all of the skills and experiences she’s accumulated throughout her life–from production and communications as a television broadcast journalist to writing and research as a higher educator of marketing and communications. Her current work perfectly marries the skillset she’s built with her interest in working with and bolstering the voices of diverse peoples in her community.
But getting to this point wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.
“Accepting this project was risk-taking to its highest degree.”
On track to become Vice President of the institutional advancement department at a Georgian university, Vickie risked financial stability, her retirement, and other opportunities to take on this project. So what made her take that leap of faith? She says it’s because she “saw the potential.”
Vickie didn’t just view Newtown Alive as a one-off project, but as an opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of her community members. The research report that was required for Phase 1 of the project, for example, had potential beyond its initial intended use. Vickie saw the value in creating a more digestible version for the general public, and had the team self-publish it in the form of a book. The oral history interviews as well had so much more potential beyond being a simple historical collection.
“There are incredible stories to be told based on the interviews that I collected through those oral histories.”
One of those stories is Sheila Sanders. Her lifetime of activism began in just 3rd grade when she staged a boycott for her class. Her social reform work peaked in 1979 when she was on the Sarasota lawsuit for single member district voting.
“That’s when African Americans were voted into the commission. Before that, we couldn’t seat a Black commissioner. So that is the power of coming together. And that is what Sheila Sanders helped to push.”
“THESE are the stories that still need to be told.”
Through Newtown Alive, Vickie and her team can spotlight important stories such as Sheila Sanders that have been buried over the years. And not just for record keeping purposes, but for instilling power and confidence in future generations. As potential children’s books or graphic novels, people of color would have better access to real stories of changemakers who look just like them while growing up. As Vickie emphasized, these stories will help prove that “their voices count! They can actually affect change! They need to know these stories.”
Like a modern-day Indiana Jones, Vickie’s passion for uncovering treasures of the past is beyond valuable to the Sarasota and Black community. “I can’t imagine doing anything else at this point–except showing other communities how to do it, and showing other communities how to avoid certain pitfalls that we had to face.”
The Empowerment of History
The importance of documenting history and telling its stories, particularly locally, goes beyond passing a test in history class.
“I believe that when people understand the whole story and get a full picture as I did, as African Americans, it would make them WAY more confident (I know I became way more confident), emboldened, and empowered.”
Learning Sarasota’s whole history helps people understand the contribution their ancestors made to the community, from infrastructure to social change.
“Had it not been for Black labor, Sarasota would not be the city that it is.”
From this project, Vickie gained a newfound appreciation for activists in her community, and believes others would gain this appreciation as well. “Had it not been for their courage and determination and bravery, I would not be able to enjoy Sarasota’s beaches–Black and brown people would not have access to them.”
Local history and these stories help weave “Black history” back into American history. Without Black labor, there would be no infrastructure. Without Black activists, schools and beaches would still be segregated. Without Black history, the community and the nation would not be what it is today. These stories aren’t just beneficial to the Black community, but to the community and nation overall. Because Black history isn’t just Black history.
Black history is American history.
“So I have dedicated my life to making sure that these stories are told on multiple platforms across the spectrum.”
Make Way for Success
When asked about challenges she has faced in her career, Vickie dialed in on affirmations of her value.
Vickie had to make many sacrifices in the beginning to get her foot in the door so she could have the opportunity to prove herself. This sacrifice, unfortunately, was steeper due to her gender and race.
“I think that there was a difference in how they looked at an African American woman, I really do.”
But Vickie emphasized how “sometimes you really do have to prove yourself” since what’s on your resume and what you tell an employer are “just words until you put the action behind the words.”
“I get it, you have to crawl before you walk–but I’ve done the crawling! I’m leaping! I’m running! I’m jumping! We’ve got work to do! We’ve got way more work to do.”
A Window of Understanding
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told some of his volunteers at one point, ‘Get out there! And share with people, communicate with people, who we are! Because if people knew who we are, they wouldn’t be treating us the way that they do. They just don’t understand how great of a people we are and what we’ve done.’”
Communications and media, like a TV segment on an older gentleman in rural Iowa or an article on the living standards of a little girl in Flint, Michigan, offer windows into people’s lives. These windows may potentially be the only touchpoint for many to understand the lives of others outside of their own bubble.
“I realized that I would never have known that person if I had not watched this particular segment.”
Sharing stories on multiple platforms, not just about Black people and history, but about all histories, cultures, and peoples are critical for creating connections across racial barriers. These windows help empower the disenfranchised while creating a more peaceful and equitable society. And over time, this communication can help heal the invisible lines drawn between different circles.
“Now, you know, some people are going to hate no matter what. But I think communication will go a long way.”
Curiosity Collector
When asked what advice she would give to a young person aspiring to go into communications, Vickie said to “be curious about everything, question things, and get to know a lot of different people. Don’t stay in your little cocoon.”
It’s not a surprise that this field is often accompanied by life-long learners. Trying new things, going to different events, talking to different people–Vickie emphasized branching out and seeking to take on new experiences.
“In communications, you’re going to be interviewing all sorts of people. So it helps to know a little bit about a LOT of things.”
Closing Words
“I’d like to say that I am so thrilled to be doing the work that I am. I am INCREDIBLY, incredibly blessed. I think that each of us has a gift and a calling.
It is so amazing how ALL OF US have something special to bring to the world. We just need to find that something special, start to develop it, and be around other people that can help us develop it. It builds! One thing builds upon another.
I’m thankful for my calling. I’m blessed to have it. And I’m just grateful.”
If you’d like to learn more about Newtown Alive and Black history in Sarasota, please visit newtownalive.org. For more information on Black history or Black History Month, please visit ASALH.org.
