Lakeland history center to give presentation on Florida farmers

  • 2026-09-18
The Lakeland History and Culture Center will hold a lecture at a local library about the Floridian farmworkers' movement.

Grown in Florida: A Reexamination of the History of the Farmworkers' Movement is a presentation where people can learn about how farmers in Florida have influenced working conditions in the state's agricultural industry. The lesson will also cover how Floridian farmworkers brought changes to social justice on a national scale. The program will focus on farmworkers living in Polk County and how they grew citrus.

The presenter for this program will be Dr. Charlie Fanning, the assistant director of Florida Southern College's Lawton M. Chiles Center for Florida History. He also works as an assistant professor of history at the university. Dr. Fanning graduated from the University of Maryland and has received awards like the Herbert G. Gutman Prize for Outstanding Dissertation. One of his current projects is working on a book titled Empire of the Everglades.

The lecture on Florida's farmworkers' movement will be held on Thursday, September 24 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The event will take place at the Lakeland Public Library's main meeting room and will be intended for an adult audience. No registration is needed to attend Dr. Fanning's presentation. Those who hold educational activities like this may use flyer printing to advertise their lessons.