JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4JAX is recognizing Black History Month from Feb. 1 - 28.
Along with that celebration, we are spotlighting changemakers shaping Black history in the River City.
These are fresh faces making a difference through leadership, creativity and community impact.
Join us in celebrating them.
Myah Freeman
Myah Freeman launched Myah N Art LLC in 2015 while still in high school. What began with custom portraits has grown into a thriving business with a strong presence in public art. Her latest mural, at the corner of the historic Ritz Theatre and Museum in LaVilla, honors the neighborhood once known as the “Harlem of the South” and features leaders James Weldon Johnson, A. Philip Randolph and Zora Neale Hurston. Inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, Freeman taught classes and painted portraits as a teen before shifting to large-scale murals; since graduating college she has turned her work into a career. Last summer she debuted her first solo exhibition, “Nostalgia,” featuring paintings reimagined from old family photographs, and she says her art centers Black stories so her community is seen, studied, celebrated and remembered.
Darrin Eakins
Darrin Eakins was recently named the 2026 Small Business Leader of the Year by the Jax Chamber. Eakins is the founder and owner of Jacksonville-based DuBlasé Whiskey, which he launched six years ago and now sells in multiple states and online. A Florida A&M graduate with a degree in construction engineering, he founded the DuBlasé Foundation, which donates a portion of sales to education in science, technology, engineering, arts and math and provides scholarships, camps and competitions. One standout program, the Minecraft Education Build Challenge, lets students across the region reimagine and design the future of Jacksonville and shares their ideas with educators, community leaders and city officials; Eakins says it’s about empowering the next generation and investing in his community.
Natasha Burton
Natasha Burton, a pastry chef and founder of Mixed Fillings Pie Shop in downtown Jacksonville, uses food, especially pie, to tell stories, preserve Black culinary heritage and bring people together. She leads Pie It Forward Florida, a community initiative that hosts events supporting children, families and local Black creatives, including the “Stories in Every Slice” series of youth baking workshops and public gatherings that blend food with service. Burton said food is more than nourishment; it’s memory, culture and connection, and she is using baking to create joy, build bridges and invest in the next generation in Jacksonville.
More to come throughout the month!