Editor’s word: This put up has been up to date.
What started as Negro History Week within the month of February — established by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926 — developed into Black History Month a long time later, in 1976.
The annual observance commemorates the triumphs and hardships of Black folks within the U.S. It is reserved as a time to honor, have a good time and protect the reminiscence of the individuals who selflessly sacrificed to interrupt racial boundaries for freedom, equality, inclusion, integration and equal rights.
Though there could also be particular occasions in February, these locations throughout the nation are glorious locations to study extra about Black historical past and the legendary trailblazers who’ve formed Black tradition, life and historical past within the U.S. at any time of yr.
Alabama
Called the birthplace of civil rights, Montgomery was certainly residence to many activists and actions that propelled change on this county.
The Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University takes guests past textbooks to study concerning the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The exhibit begins with a characteristic movie of individuals of all races talking about what it was prefer to protest segregation and racial injustices of their metropolis. You are then ushered right into a room for a digital reenactment of the evening Rosa Parks was arrested, projected from a reproduction of the Cleveland Avenue bus.
Just two blocks away from the museum is a statue of Rosa Parks close to the situation the place she stood for the bus on Dec. 1, 1955 — the day that etched her identify into historical past.
The museum additionally speaks concerning the Freedom Riders, a heroic group of individuals (together with the late congressman John Lewis) who got down to problem segregation at bus stations whereas using from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans.
Part of the previous Greyhound station in Montgomery, the place these riders have been met with violence from an offended mob, has been transformed into the Freedom Rides Museum, the place items of the “For Coloreds Only” ready space and boarding platform are nonetheless intact.
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Another noteworthy cease within the metropolis is the Dr. Richard Harris House, which was a secure home and strategic planning location for the Freedom Riders and different civil rights actions all through Montgomery within the Centennial Hill space.
Mobile is one other metropolis wealthy in Black tradition and historical past.
Just a number of miles from the downtown space is Africatown, fashioned by 32 West Africans who have been the final recognized cargo of unlawful slaves to the United States. This historic website is part of Mobile’s African American Heritage Trail.
While in Mobile, go to the National African-American Archives & Multicultural Museum. This museum, now below governmental management, previously served as a public library for the African American group throughout segregation.
Mobile can be the birthplace and residential of baseball legend Hank Aaron. Visitors can tour his childhood residence (which was moved to Hank Aaron Stadium) without spending a dime. Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth’s residence run file, did so whereas enduring hostility and blatant racism.
Nashville
Though it could be finest recognized for nation music, Nashville has a wealthy Black historical past, too.
Although different sit-ins had taken place within the years prior, 124 college students from traditionally Black schools and universities round Nashville staged sit-ins at Kress, Woolworth and McClellan lunch counters round city on Feb. 13, 1960.
The college students continued their sit-ins and expanded to different areas however have been finally met with violence on Feb. 27, a day that additionally resulted in 81 arrests. After refusing to pay the related positive of $50, the scholars spent simply over 30 days in jail. Woolworth has been rebranded as Woolworth on fifth (a theater) and has a historic maker outdoors its doorways.
Of course, music has all the time been an intrinsic a part of Black tradition, and it has impressed main genres and musical phenomenons. The National Museum of African American Music takes you thru the evolution of music from hymns and Negro spirituals to people music, bluegrass, jazz and present-day hip hop.
Learn concerning the pioneers in these genres whereas curating a private playlist of songs. There’s even a dance room and recording studio so that you can take pleasure in throughout your go to.
For excursions particular to Black historical past in Nashville, e-book via United Street Tours.
Kansas City, Missouri
America’s favourite pastime was not all the time the various sport it’s now. In truth, it wasn’t till April 1947 that Major League Baseball had a Black participant, Jackie Robinson, who began at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City pays homage to gamers similar to Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige, and it is just some blocks from the YMCA, the place the Negro League was fashioned in 1920. Immerse your self within the tales of the unsung heroes and legends of baseball via interactive pc stations, artifacts and the Hall of Fame locker room.
New Orleans
From jazz music to Creole delicacies, Black folks have a wealthy tapestry within the bayou — and there’s no higher place to begin than the McKenna Museum of African American Art. The museum homes a personal assortment of paperwork, artifacts and artwork that immerses viewers in Black excellence from the 18th century to the current day.
Next up, Le Musee de f.p.c. is a historic home museum. It’s one of many few points of interest devoted solely to telling the story and preserving the fabric tradition of free folks of shade.
Also owned by the McKenna household, Le Musee de f.p.c includes a set of paperwork, work and ornamental arts that concurrently interprets and preserves the historical past and tradition shared by so many free folks of African descent in New Orleans and all through the nation.
Another historic landmark so as to add to your checklist is Congo Square, previously often called Place de Negres. This space is understood for being a gathering space of slaves, who on Sundays would spend their break day promoting items, singing and enjoying music.
And who can come to New Orleans and never expertise the delicacies that evokes recipes around the globe? After opening in 1941 as a sandwich store, Dooky Chase’s Restaurant shortly grew to become the assembly place for civil rights, music, leisure and tradition.
Leah Chase, often called the Queen of Creole Cuisine, turned the store into one of many first African American positive eating eating places within the United States. Also, by including the work of Black artists to the partitions of the restaurant, Dooky Chase’s was the primary artwork gallery for black artists in New Orleans.
Related: The first-timer’s information to New Orleans: Everything it’s essential eat, see and do
Greensboro, North Carolina
Established in 1891 and the highest HBCU within the United States, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is situated in Greensboro. This illustrious college has a long-standing historical past and a major function in civil rights for African Americans.
On Feb. 1, 1960, Jibreel Khazan (then often called Ezell Blair Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond — 4 freshman college students at A&T — helped provoke sit-in demonstrations. The sit-in occurred at Woolworth when the 4 sat down at a whites-only lunch counter. They grew to become often called the A&T Four, and their nonviolent protest propelled a wave of comparable sit-ins that in the end performed a key function in ending segregation in North Carolina and throughout the South, together with the aforementioned Feb. 13 sit-in in Nashville.
The website is now a historic landmark that gave start to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, which refers to itself as “an innovative social justice educational organization devoted to the understanding and advancement of civil and human rights at home and around the world.”
In a wooded space of the Guilford College campus is a path traveled by many in search of freedom, also referred to as the Greensboro Underground Railroad. Here you possibly can stroll the trail to the Underground Railroad Tree in a self-guided tour that simulates how fugitives navigated the world with the assistance of abolitionists and native African Americans, each free and enslaved.
In 1949, The Historic Magnolia House, previously often called the Daniel D. DeButts House, opened its doorways to offer a spot for Black vacationers. It is believed that it was one of many solely resorts that offered lodging for African American vacationers throughout Jim Crow between Richmond, Virginia, and Atlanta.
The lodge went on to be featured in six editions of Victor Hugo Green’s “Green Book” and is also believed to be the only Green Book hotel still in operation within North Carolina. It’s also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Celebrities such as Duke Ellington, James Baldwin, Tina Turner and Ray Charles all resided at the hotel during their performances and travels in the area. Currently, the hotel is open for stays, brunch and special events.
Related: A conversation with Candacy Taylor, curator of the Smithsonian’s new traveling ‘Green Book’ exhibition
Los Angeles
When we speak about Black history, it’s important to remember how multifaceted this history is, and it would be remiss to leave out the heroic actions of Black people who shaped the progression of LGBTQIA+ rights and freedoms.
One such hero is Jewel Thais-Williams, a nightclub pioneer who opened Jewel’s Catch One bar in Los Angeles in 1973. Her establishment was hailed as an “epicenter for gay Black life,” serving as a safe space where people could let loose and be themselves at a time when police were arresting people for their sexual preferences. While the establishment has changed to fit the times, it is still open.
Also in Los Angeles, the African American Firefighter Museum pays homage to Black firefighters, including Sam Haskins, who was listed as the first Los Angeles fireman of African lineage when he was hired in 1892. With an array of documents, equipment, artifacts, photos and stories, the AAFFM is the first and the country’s only freestanding African American firefighter museum.
No trip to the City of Angels is complete without visiting Watts Coffee House, a venue that sought to revive the historic Watts Happening Coffee House.
Watts Happening became a gathering place for artists and activists following the Watts Rebellion in 1965, when the neighborhood was burned to the ground in response to the arrest of a Black man by white law enforcement. Just across the street from the original location, the current coffee shop preserves the legacy of Watts Happening.
New York City
Starting as a small luncheonette with only six booths and 15 stools in 1962, the legendary Harlem restaurant Sylvia’s is known as the Queen of Soul Food. Garnering the attention of foodies, politicians, celebrities and television shows, this establishment has long been a staple in the Black community.
Famous African American poet and author Langston Hughes is one of the most well-known creatives credited with being a part of the Harlem Renaissance. His home, where he spent the last 20 years of his life creating some of his most popular literary works, is a registered historic landmark in Harlem. While open to the public for tours and viewings, Hughes’s residence is also home to the I, Too, Arts Collective, a nonprofit organization committed to nurturing creativity within underrepresented communities.
Another site to see is the famous Apollo Theater, which opened its doors to Black people in 1934 with weekly talent shows and birthed the careers of some of the world’s most famous entertainers (including Marvin Gaye and James Brown). Visitors can still attend live performances and events at the music hall.
Related: An introduction to New York City’s neighborhoods
New Jersey
New Jersey’s relevance in Black history dates back to the 1600s when the first captive Africans were brought to the mid-Atlantic area by colonial settlers.
Now, the Black Heritage Trail spreads across the state of New Jersey, identifying historical landmarks as well as commemorating the contributions of past and present residents.
Noteworthy spots along the trail include the Scotch Hills Country Club (renamed to Shady Rest), the first Black-owned golf and country club in the U.S. In the northern part of the state, you can find the first Black church in Morristown, the Bethel Church of Morristown, which was established in 1843. The trail also identifies museums and Black-owned restaurants and businesses throughout the state.
The story of abolitionist Harriet Tubman is one with many layers, but Cape May has an integral part. Famous for its beaches, boardwalks and Victorian-style homes, it is here that Tubman lived and worked to help bring enslaved people to freedom.
The Harriet Tubman Museum outlines her life, her work in Cape May and her journeys. You can also take a trip around Cape May on an Underground Railroad Trolley Tour to learn more about the history of the area and the passage enslaved people took using the Cape May lighthouse as a guide through treacherous waters.
Providence
You may not think of Rhode Island as a place to learn about Black history, but there are many stories to be told in the state’s capital, Providence. The self-guided Providence Walks Early Black History Tour pinpoints those sites.
At the Providence Gazette, you can see the ads of yesteryear placed to sell enslaved people, as well as ads seeking assistance to capture runaway slaves. The site truly magnifies Providence’s role in upholding slavery through the power of media.
Along the tour is a stop at Mount Hope Sharing Garden, which recognizes the enslaved and free Black farmers of Rhode Island. Here, you can learn more about how the crops aided in their survival long after enslavement.
Another important part of the tour is the Snowtown Riot Plaque, which honors the five people who lost their lives in 1831 when a white mob terrorized Black neighborhoods in Providence for four days.
Seattle
Black history in Washington state dates back to approximately 1845 when a man from Missouri, George W. Bush, his wife, Isabella, and their five children (along with several other families) settled into the southern Puget Sound area now known as Bush Prairie. African Americans continued to flock to the state, and many were recruited for work in coal mines.
In later years, the prevalence of Black people in the area was also the result of immigration from African countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia.
With a mission to share the “evolution of its Black community” in the Pacific Northwest, the Northwest African American Museum tells the story of the area’s Black history, present and future through art, artifacts and exhibits.
As the population grew through the centuries, so too did the African American influence on music.
From the early to mid-1900s, the city had a bustling jazz scene. It’s where legends like Ernestine Anderson and Ray Charles got their start. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley and The Royal Room celebrate the contributions of local artists, capturing the soulful essence of clubs during that time.
In Greenwood Memorial Park cemetery, the Jimi Hendrix Memorial celebrates the life of the international musician and guitarist who called Seattle home.
Bottom line
There isn’t any American historical past with out unveiling the secrets and techniques and truths of Black historical past. From settlement after enslavement to constructing bustling communities throughout the cities throughout this nation, we will discover the intricate tales of triumph and perseverance woven into the tapestry of the United States.
This month and past, these tales needs to be advised and magnified. To study extra, you possibly can go to one of many stops on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail or The Black Experience web site.
Source: thepointsguy.com”