OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — In honor of Black History Month, Spectrum News 13 is digging deep into the stories of history makers in Central Florida. Jennifer Paul, this week’s Everyday Hero, has made strides in preserving the history of Osceola County, and has used her voice to address environmental concerns in the area.

In her journey to embrace Black history, Paul began a project that became a labor of love. Paul started compiling the stories of the Black residents who played a key part in what Osceola County is now today. Though they played an integral part in history, some of their names and faces are little known to the average resident.

Lawrence Silas, for example, is one of the many people featured in Paul’s book. Silas was one of very few Black ranchers in Osceola County, and according to the Orlando Sentinel, most of his remaining property was developed into shopping centers by the 1980s.

“I didn’t even know anything about him,” said Paul.

But Paul had a drive to learn more, and she hoped to create a resource for those with an interest in Black history as well. 

Her research lead her to other figures like Deloris McMillon, who began teaching when Florida schools were segregated. McMillon went on to help integrate Black educators into schools across the county in the late 1960s.

“I just felt it’s very important to share the history, the struggle that the individuals face as well,” she said.

Paul’s family is also rooted in the Osceola County area. She is a fourth-generation resident, and her family’s neighborhood is nearby where the first Black residents settled in Narcoossee, an unincorporated area of the county. Her great-grandfather was a migrant worker, and her great-grandmother worked inside the homes of families across the area.

“Family is very important, and being involved is very important as well. So that’s why Jenn and I like to stay involved in it,” said Paul’s sister Jessica Paul.

Many of her family members still live just behind their church, the historic St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church.

In 2020, Jennifer Paul and her sister Jessica Paul learned of a new proposed development slated to be built in the neighborhood. The pair attended the commission meeting tirelessly, urging commissioners to rethink the proposal. Their family knew the property had once been a dumping ground.

“This community has been neglected for so long,” said Paul. “But now, there is an environmental concern that contamination was on property.”

The proposal for the development was denied, and Paul later won an Osceola County “Woman Warrior” award. Her interest in environmental advocacy later led her to work with the NAACP, where she currently serves as Chairperson for the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee of Osceola County.

“For the new generations, like my sister and myself, we have a voice to be heard. If we see something that’s not right in the community, we’ll speak up,” said Paul.