JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For 69-year-old Joyce Wilcox, LaVilla wasn’t just a chapter in Jacksonville’s history — it was her childhood. Growing up in the Blodgett Homes, she remembers a neighborhood alive with music, laughter, and community spirit.
“We had pools, we had playgrounds, we had the best, so growing up as a little girl, I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know about the segregation. I was a little girl having fun playing,” Wilcox said.
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LaVilla, often called the Harlem of the South, was a vibrant cultural corridor for Black families during the years of segregation. Hotels, theaters, shops, and thriving businesses lined Davis Street and beyond. Education, arts, and social life were central to raising children, and summer nights carried the sounds of jazz and swing down Ashley Street.
Legends like Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald performed in LaVilla, drawing crowds and inspiring a generation. Many families who grew up in LaVilla even moved north to Harlem, helping shape the Harlem Renaissance and bringing their experiences back to Jacksonville.
“LaVilla’s cultural influence stretched far beyond Jacksonville,” Wilcox said. “Writers like Zora Neale Hurston and James Weldon Johnson had roots here before helping shape the Harlem Renaissance.”
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But the neighborhood’s influence extended beyond arts and music.
Black entrepreneurship thrived. Families owned hotels, theaters, and businesses, creating a prosperous community that challenged stereotypes of the era.
“They couldn’t look at segregation or people telling them, ‘You can’t do this.’ Because of the color of their skin, no, these people had dignity, courage, and determination,” Wilcox recalled.
That thriving community, however, began to change in the wake of urban redevelopment. The construction of Interstate 95 cut through LaVilla, displacing families and demolishing businesses.
“The city, per se, was rebuilding; they took away the businesses. They started building 95, and they separated the Blacks, who they called the uncommon or the undeserving Blacks, I’ll put it that way,” Wilcox said. “Something was taken away from the Black community... Their dignity and the knowledge of training other young people.”
Even so, the spirit of LaVilla endured. Wilcox reflects on the lessons her parents instilled — the importance of education, dignity, and community.
“You need to learn from the past,” she said. “Because if you don’t learn from your past, how are you going to walk effectively in your future?”
Her advice resonates across generations: “Give your child a good education. Let them know they have dignity and worth just like anybody else. Because of what their parents fought for, what others fought for. Then it’s instilling in them courage.”
LaVilla’s story is more than nostalgia; it is a testament to a community that thrived despite systemic barriers and helped shape culture, education, and opportunity for generations of Black Americans. Its legacy remains an enduring reminder of resilience, pride, and the power of community.