Surprising Signs on Davis Island

A waterfront home with a "BLM" sign out front

In the front yard of a waterfront property, in one of the wealthiest, whitest neighborhoods in Tampa, a handmade cloth sign reads, simply, "BLM." Several houses down, a two-story giant with a huge expanse of immaculate grass proclaims its residents to be "Pro-Life" in pink curlicue script, above a lawn sign reading, "Trump/ Pence 2020: Keep America Great." An American flag drapes the banister of the front porch.

A large waterfront home with conservative signage

The second house, and its signs, is exactly what one expects to see here. Davis Islands, a suburb of South Tampa, is known for its prosperity. Tom Brady rents a home here from Derek Jeter, joining NFL superstar Brad Culpepper and former Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn, as well as several members of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Islands are also known for being overwhelmingly white: 93% of the population is white, and only 1.6% is Black (the rest of Tampa is 24.19% Black). Whiteness plus wealth is traditionally associated with conservatism.

Which is what makes the little squares proclaiming "Hate Has No Home Here" and "Diversity is Celebrated" (with the phrase translated into Arabic underneath) tucked in front of homes with a median value of $821,700 so surprising.

More signs in front of a home on a quiet street

For Judy K. Patterson, 89, yard signs are a way to continue the activism that's been taken from her by age and COVID-19. "I always worked on the polls, and I thought, 'What can I do? I can't do anything,'" she says, speaking to me from her porch so as to maintain social distance. "They wanted me to text people, but I felt like a robo-caller. And we used to address postcards, but they haven't done it yet. And I can't hear, so I can't do the phone. So what can I do? I thought, 'Well, I can get a sign.'" So Judy put up a simple placard with the phrase, "Black Lives Matter," in her window, a Biden yard sign, and another with a cartoon representation of Donald Trump's hair with, simply, "NO," underneath it.

Judy at home. Judy bought this property when it had holes in the roof, and twenty-nine German Shepherds living in the back yard

Judy, an artist and retired teacher, is deeply troubled by the political moment, citing examples of family rifts due to differing ideologies. "They keep saying that we should find something to talk to them about," she says, referring to conservatives. "But you know, they don't hear you. Whatever you say, they don't hear you." She recalls her time spent teaching underprivileged kids early in her career, and trying to talk about race with her students in mixed classes. She also remembers the inadequacy of the conversation.

Golf carts are commonplace on the Islands, often driven by gaggles of white teens blaring hip-hop

Of course, it might be argued that signs are not enough, or worse yet, merely performative activism. All the same, residents like Judy are aware of the gulf between American ideals and American reality. "The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and it's really scary," she says. "All my life I've tried to make things better... and it's worse."

The appearance of these signs, though, is perhaps a step in a better direction.