When José Martí came to Tampa in the 1890s to raise money for the revolution in Cuba, he insisted on lodging with an elderly black woman prominent in the exile community and revolutionary activities. He turned down the hospitality of wealthy white Cubans and North American sympathizers to his cause to make a point, in spite of warnings from his friends that moving into the colored neighborhood would make him many enemies and "cause trouble". He was well aware that many of the Cuban rebels were black, freed slaves, and even some of the generals in the rebel army were men of color. When the Americans intervened late in the war, (Yeah, it was just about over when the Rough Riders showed up) , the black Cuban revolutionary leaders were snubbed by the American occupation forces and not allowed to participate in the provisional government. Martí was indeed a remarkable man; poet, journalist, revolutionary organizer, and, eventually, a battlefield martyr to his cause.

Just a few years later, my grandfather moved to Key West to work in the cigar industry. He recounted a story to me about the first automobile in Key West (in those days, the railroad and highway did not reach the island). It turns out the car was owned by a black American physician who had it shipped in by sea. It caused a big sensation when the car was lowered off a ship onto the dock.

The doctor was later lynched by the locals, presumably for his "uppitiness" .