Supporting History

Preserving African American History

Although February is the shortest month of the year, its important anniversaries and remembrances—particularly for African Americans—make it one of the fullest. Luminaries born in February include W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Eubie Blake, opera star Marian Anderson, Frederick Douglass, the NAACP, and the first Pan African Congress. Remembrances this month include Malcolm X’s assassination and Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. The first African American Senator, Hiram Revels, took the oath of office in February 1870. The Montgomery bus boycott arrests, the ratification of the 15th Amendment, the North Carolina lunch-counter sit-ins, and Abraham Lincoln’s approval of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery all occurred in February.

Celebrations of African American heritage and achievement, launched by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and others, began in 1926. The original weeklong observance became a month in 1976—a time to mark the considerable contributions of African Americans to U.S. history. The following SHF-supported projects illustrate some of these accomplishments in Colorado.

Recently, the SHF awarded a grant to the City and County of Denver’s Community Planning and Development Agency to design, manufacture, and install historic markers along the Welton Street Historic and Cultural Corridor, and to design, print, and distribute 6,000 walking tour brochures. The $203,600 project, which includes a 33 percent cash match from the city, will provide public displays at key points along Welton and at significant structures. A brochure and self-guided tour will enhance the experience of visitors, students, and residents who may have little knowledge of the area’s wonderful history.

Denver officially designated the Welton Street Commercial Corridor Cultural District, which includes buildings facing Welton from 24th Street to 30th Street, last February. Originally developed with small Victorian-era houses, this stretch of Welton saw its first commercial structures in the 1890s and early 1900s. Ninety percent of Denver’s African American population lived in this area in the 1920s. The elegant Rossonian Lounge, which hosted top entertainers, such as Paul Robeson, Duke Ellington, Count Bassie, and the Harlem Globetrotters, distinguishes this unique historic district.

Another recently awarded grant project brings the SHF back to Dearfield, in Weld County. Oliver T. Jackson established the dryland agricultural farming colony in 1910 in order to provide African Americans with an opportunity to live self-sufficiently, away from discrimination. At its height, Dearfield boasted a school, two churches, a doctor’s office, a filling station, a lunchroom, and numerous residences housing several hundred residents.

The Black American West Museum and Heritage Center has worked to study, acquire, and stabilize the original Dearfield town site for the past several years. The Fund awarded the center $34,000 to develop an acquisition plan and a long-term maintenance plan. The center expects to finish the project, which is part of its long-term vision to create a living history park, this month.

To learn more about African Americans in Colorado history, bring your family to the Colorado History Museum on February 22. Our History Express Center features photos, stories, and activities for children of all ages (see History Express, page 7). For more information about Dearfield, contact the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center at 303/292-2566.

BY RACHEL SIMPSON