Manatee County's first black teacher made a difference

MANATEE COUNTY - As we celebrate Black History Month, we want to take a moment to honor a Suncoast hero. Dorothy Middleton was the first African American teacher to integrate Manatee County schools. ABC 7's own Ed James, long time host of Black Almanac, calls Dorothy Middleton "a giant within the history of Manatee County".That first year of integration, she went in alone...later to be followed by other teachers and students.Middleton is a true Suncoast treasure and a living history book. 80 years old now, she remembers vividly those days before integration, when she was in school in Manatee County herself. “I never had a new book the whole time I went to school. I don't ever remember getting a new book.”She and her family were on the front lines as integration swept into Manatee County. "Prior to integration, I was at

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