Dr. Natalie King-Pedrosso

Dr. Natalie King-Pedroso has deep roots along the Florida-Georgia border, and these ties fuel her cultural and historical preservation endeavors. As a former Associate Professor in Florida A&M University’s Department of English and Modern Languages, King-Pedroso’s research interests include the Afro-South, Black women writers, and Africana literature. Her book, Critical Responses to the Black Family in Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child: Conflicts in Comradeship (2019), is a co-edited collection focusing on the role of the African American family in Toni Morrison’s final novel. She is the co-director of the Evergreen Plantation Archaeological Field School (EPAFS), a collaborative, interdisciplinary program teaching the literature of the American South. She was on the research team for Before Juneteenth: Florida’s Emancipations, A Mini-Documentary, an award-winning short documentary about the history behind Florida’s Emancipation Day.

King-Pedroso was also a major contributor to The 20th of May: The History and Heritage of Florida’s Emancipation Day Digital History Project, a website dedicated to Florida’s Emancipation Day history, traditions, and culture. She is a founder and coordinator of the 20th of May Group, a collective of culture bearers from North Florida counties who educate communities about Florida’s Emancipation Day, May 20, 1865. Along with Rev. Rebecca Dickey, her family’s genealogical journey was featured during Leon County-Tallahassee’s Bicentennial Celebration (2024) in “B(l)ack to the Past: Henry Wright and African American Heritage along the Florida-Georgia Border.” King-Pedroso also owns Cotton Boll Collective, “The Home of Rootedness,” a lifestyle brand that celebrates the contributions, beauty, and dignity of the Afro-South.