Senate candidate visits local Tea Party

Historic City News readers are patriotically invited to attend the general meeting of the Saint Augustine Tea Party being held at the Village Inn located at 900 North Ponce de Leon Boulevard in St. Augustine on June 10, 2014 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Our guest speaker will be Derek Hankerson, two-term Chairman of Putnam County Tea Party Patriots and former 2nd Vice President of St. John’s County Republican Executive Committee. Mr. Hankerson recently announced his candidacy for Florida State Senate District 6, which consists of Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and part of Volusia counties.

Derek’s heritage in this area dates back to the 18th Century. The Hankerson family settled all over St. Johns County, St. Augustine, Lincolnville, Armstrong, Elkton, Hastings and Flagler Estates. His great grandfather the Rev. Joseph Henry Hankerson was a native of Elkton and Armstrong. He served in World War I, and was the first appointed and reelected Black Republican postmaster of Armstrong in 1910. Derek’s grandmother who was West African/Gullah Geechee, lived in Lincolnville on Lincoln Street.

Several of Derek’s cousins built churches and served as Christian ministers in West Augustine in the late 1800 and 1900’s. The Rev. Elijah Hankerson was the minister of Shiloh Baptist Church on King Street. Another cousin, Dr. Julius Fields was an Air Force Officer and one of the first black dentists in Lincolnville in the early 1960’s.

Most of Derek’s family attended Excelsior, Florida Memorial College (a historical black college) including his father, Deacon C.E. Hankerson. Deacon Hankerson was born in West Augustine, across the street from the local Boys and Girls Club. The old Victorian Hankerson homestead was family owned from 1930 until 1999 when it was sold to the City of St. Augustine.

The Hankerson family contributed to this community as business owners, elected officials and religious leaders. They inspired Derek to excel, and to stand up for true American values and conservative principles.

Derek Hankerson will speak about the similarity between the Tea Party and Republicans of the 1800’s. Please join us for a very informative evening. Open to the public, and No admission charge. So bring a friend!