The Gavin and Walker families were among the first Black families to settle on Sanibel Island, Florida, in the early 1900s when the rugged tropical frontier was mostly known for farming. The two families joined with the marriage of Edmond Gavin and Elnora Walker, who had 20 children.

WGCU interviewed two of their children, Kenneth and Eugene Gavin, in November 2023 on Sanibel Island, Florida for WGCU’s Untold Stories, which aims to preserve the history of Southwest Florida communities.

The brothers, now in their 80s, recalled what Sanibel Island was like during segregation, how the Black children walked to school while white students rode the bus. Yet, the children still played together and Black and white families were close friends. They said the island was unique from other parts of the South.

“For some reason, things were different on Sanibel,” said Kenneth Gavin.


WGCU Public Media Documentary Unit
Videographer/Editor: Tom James
Senior producer/writer: Janine Zeitlin
Associate producer: Susan Gard
Narrator: Bryant Monteilh

Special thanks to:
Eugene Gavin
Kenneth Gavin
Betty Anholt

Videos courtesy of:
Sanibel Public Library
Second Baptist Church of Benton Harbor

Photos courtesy of:
Charles McCullough
Cultural Heritage Center
Florida Memory
The Gavin Family
‘Images of America Sanibel Island’ by Yvonne Hill and Marguerite Jordan in collaboration with the Lee County Black History Society, Inc. Published by Arcadia Publishing
The Jordan Family
Newspapers.com/The News-Press
Pfeifer Realty Group
Publication of Archival Library & Museum Materials
‘Sanibel’s Story Voices and Images’ by Betty Anholt
Sanibel Public Library
totimediainc.com/danielajeager
The Island Inn

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Black Pioneers on Sanibel Island, Florida | Untold Stories Shorts | Black History Month
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