The Junior League of St. Petersburg, which has thrown such balls since 2006, scrapped the 2022 event after Mayor-elect Ken Welch declined to attend, the Tampa Bay Times reported Thursday.
The planned ball for the first Black mayor of St. Petersburg has been canceled because of concerns its circus theme was inappropriate in the once-segregated city.
The theme was “Under the Big Top,” with promotional materials featuring a circus tent and a black pelican with a top hat. Black community leaders pointed out that Blacks were once barred from attending the circus in majority-white St. Petersburg and that the theme was disrespectful.
“He has nothing to do with a circus, clowns, animals,” said the Rev. J.C. Pritchett, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. “He’s a gentleman. A kind gentleman and a public servant.”
There was also a change in location from the more glamorous Coliseum or Mahaffey Theater to a venue called the Factory with outdoor space in a warehouse arts district. Past mayoral balls have always been held in the Coliseum
“For us to have the mayor’s ball in a warehouse and a parking lot is unfitting,” Pritchett said.
Welch said in a statement that the situation is a “teachable moment” for greater racial inclusion in the coastal city, which is about 70% white.
– Ella Breedlove
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