Meet Josette Green - LSPAA's February Spotlight
LSPAA Alumni Spotlight
Meet Josette Green, Class of 2009
LSP Alum's Current Position/Title
Activist, Advocate, Founder and Historian of St. Petersburg Black History Bike Tour and Hidden Historic Campbell Park, A Walking Tour
LSP involvement since graduation
I was honored that LSPAA recognized my various community projects and awarded me the LSPAA Community Service Award in 2022.
What is your professional job and what do you do in it?
My career has been in doing turnarounds of organizations. I've now transferred these skills to community activism and educating our community on local Black history.
Some of the projects I've observed a need for and initiated involve helping neighborhoods and families. I created a trash/alley event for my neighborhood of Campbell Park. It has now become a model for the city and I've worked with other communities to train and support their launch. I initiated the probate relief program that is now a program with the city. As I talk with citizens and see an opportunity for a better life or better service from the city, I advocate accordingly.
My current project is creating a walking tour entitled Hidden Historic Campbell Park, relaying the history of the first Negro Park (a term of the times) in our city. The history is rich, deep and most has never been revealed. I’ve added this to the 3 year old tour, St. Petersburg Black History Bike Tour.
Have you visited your class project since its completion? If yes, how did it feel to revisit your work?
The Divine '09 cohort painted and furnished the offices of the Louise Graham Regeneration Center. I bike by there often but I have not been back inside.
What are your free time hobbies?
I absolutely love what I do in regard to my activism and teaching local Black history. It could be considered my hobby. I also love to travel and while I've never regained my momentum since COVID, I'm finally going to Africa this May. I also enjoy working out, cooking my plant based foods, biking, events and activities in St. Pete and continuing to learn on my antiracism journey. I am so grateful for the many learning opportunities we have here in St. Pete. Advancing racial equity is my passion.
What's next for you?
I'm excited to be back to international travel as I mentioned above. For the last 5 years I've been very clear on my intention in life - to do only what is meaningful. To me, meaningful means what positively makes a difference in people's lives. Through this goal advancing racial equity has really risen to the surface.
With this clarity of purpose, I've been amazed that as one project comes to closure, another makes itself known. The newest project is advocating for the removal of I-175 with a beautiful boulevard that reconnects our city.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I love our city and our residents. It's my honor and privilege to do activism to advance important issues. If one person is positively impacted, it is worth every minute of effort.
Thank you to LSPAA, for acknowledging my work with your 2022 Community Service Award and to Mayor Welch for awarding me the 2022 Neighbor With Heart award. Also, in Dec. 2023, Racewithoutism, honored me with their Leading in Foraging Transformation (LIFT) Award.
From LSPAA:
Thank you to Josette Green, LSP Class of 2009, for continuing to be a leader in St. Petersburg! We thank Josette for leading an LSPAA group tour this week, on February 17. If you can’t make it, visit BlackHistoryBikeTour.com for details or to sign up for a future tour with Josette.