St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench Monthly shines a light on one of the many people that make St. Pete unique. This month we’re taking a look back to honor the late Rosalie Peck.
Born during the nadir of Jim Crow, Peck spent much of her life defying racist assumptions and restrictions while forging paths for others to follow. Among other accomplishments, she helped desegregate a local college, earned a graduate degree in social work, wrote several books, and placed fourth in the Ms. Senior America contest after being crowned Ms. Senior Florida in 1991. When she died in 2009 at age 82, she left behind a diverse legacy marking the ways in which St. Petersburg was made better by her efforts.
“the worst of times and the best of times … a place called home”
Born in 1927, Rosalie Peck was the last of 10 children. Raised in St. Pete, she attended the local all-black schools, Jordan Elementary and Gibbs High School. Legally mandated segregation was one part of the bitter reality Peck faced growing up in the Jim Crow South, but she also recalled the ballast provided by her southern St. Petersburg neighborhood. “The bitter made less soul-searing and less long-term damaging to soul and psyche because of love. … We were insulated,” she wrote. “Cushioned and supported by a web of life comprising community.” It was the reality of racism that led her to move to Washington D.C., after high school to enter Cortez Peters Business College, one of the few black-owned schools in the United States. The support of her hometown community brought her back and helped launch Rosalie Peck onto a brave new path.
The “road less traveled” that “made all the difference”
Founded in 1954 by a local group of prestigious African-American men, the Ambassadors Club strove to work “within the system” to improve the lives of black residents. In 1961, they decided the time had come to integrate the all-white St. Petersburg Junior College (today’s St. Petersburg College). Rosalie Peck was chosen as one of two students to lead the challenge. Decades later, she remembered her anxiety and fear, but she also recalled her joy at the thought of realizing her and her parents’ long-held desire for a college education. After successfully passing the entrance exam and making it through her first day, she knew she was, as she described it, “in my element.” Building on that initial confidence, she decided to pursue the “road less traveled.” Choosing that path ultimately “made all the difference” in her life. Among other things, it eventually led her to Bethune- Cookman College and then to Atlanta University for her master’s degree followed by a successful social work career.
“Remembering 22nd Street: The Way We Were”
After retiring in 1978, Peck dedicated much of her time to writing. She authored several books, including (with Jon Wilson) St. Petersburg’s Historic 22nd Street South and St. Petersburg’s Historic African American Neighborhoods. Both celebrate the history of the local communities that helped buffer life in the Jim Crow South. Looking back, she credited her parents for raising her “to seek the higher good and to be ready when change long hoped-for came” even when that “much-needed thing” came “with a price.” So while she never minimized the challenges, Peck also advocated embracing the possibilities of a brighter future. As she noted in a 1991 essay: “I love the Pier because, as a black child … I was denied access. Now, as an adult, it is my pleasure.”
Author’s note: As a transplanted northern historian, I regret never having had the opportunity to meet Rosalie Peck except through her writings. Her books, along with Gwendolyn Reese’s “I Am” column for The Weekly Challenger, provided the main sources for this story.
