Video above: Tampa city leader opens ‘Black English Bookstore’ to honor Black history and culture

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa City Council Member Gwen Henderson died Monday night. She was 60 years old.

In 2023, Henderson was elected to the city council and served as the representative for District 5, an area that extends from Armenia Ave. to the Tampa Bypass Canal in the east. This district encompasses downtown Tampa, Ybor City, and neighborhoods located east of I-275 and south of Busch Blvd.

A native of Tampa, she was raised in the Carver City neighborhood and completed her high school education at Jefferson High School. She earned a degree in education from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and went on to receive a Master of Education and an Education Specialist degree in educational leadership and higher education administration from Saint Leo University.

“Gwen was always talking about her family journey: she talked with adoration about her late mother; her heroic late father who she always proudly said served in the Korean War and raised a family in Carver City; her loving sister; and her daughter who she had so much beaming pride in,” Tampa City Council Member Luis Viera said.

In addition to her work as an educator and city council member, Henderson owned the Black English Bookstore in Tampa Heights.

“Gwen had a passion for Black History – from 1619 to today. If you wanted to see the beauty of Gwen’s heart, you should stop by her dream realized – her Black English bookstore,” Viera said. “That bookstore was about the pride she had in the journey of her family and families like hers. Gwen’s life and values were intertwined in the journey of Black Tampenos.”

Henderson’s death will trigger a special election to fill the city council seat for the remainder of her term, which ends in 2027.