African American History

Lorraine Wells was about to give up. More than 10 years of searching for clues about the now-deceased father she never knew while growing up in Cumberland had produced nothing. Then the 46-year-old Oakland, Calif., resident got a call from her brother Jeffrey, who lives in Cumberland, about a Web site that chronicles Western Maryland's black history. The Allegany County African American History collection comprises more than 400 images, includes information dating back 200 years - and was created by an amateur historian who happens to be white.

For the past few years, the motto of Black History Month has been, "African American History is American History." We don't hear that saying much anymore, which means it's understood. Now, we need a new narrative to address the myths and true stories of Black History Month. Joseph Campbell, the religious and cultural anthropologist, said that in human history there's only one myth - the "monomyth" - and our histories weave their way through stories with high dramas and fierce conflicts as they circle back to self-discovery.

Museum should be true to historyRecent articles in The Sun have highlighted the controversy surrounding the design of the Maryland Museum of African-American History and Culture that was recently presented to the Baltimore City Design Advisory Panel ("On museum front, form vs. function," July 28 and "A first choice that's second best," Aug. 1).Most of the panel's criticisms were right on target. The aesthetics of the building presented fell far short of expectations.But the architects for the project are in a difficult position.

Black history museum would enhance BaltimoreI want to add my voice to the growing list of Marylanders who are thrilled that our state and city are going forward with plans to open another cornerstone museum of local and American history, the proposed Maryland African-American history museum. To be located on "museum row" at Pratt and President streets -- perhaps adjacent to a revitalized City Life Museums complex -- this museum would help anchor a heritage district that could better acquaint us with our divergent but intertwined American histories.

WASHINGTON -- Ann Shumard knocks you over with her enthusiasm. There's always one more tidbit to add, another slip of information to get hold of and catalog."

The vacant Baltimore City Life Museums property in East Baltimore could have been converted to house the proposed Maryland Museum of African-American History and Culture, but organizers say they didn't want to inherit another group's castoffs.As part of their planning for an African-American museum in downtown Baltimore, directors say, they held "focus groups" and learned that prospective patrons and supporters would rather see the museum board build anew than take over a museum that has shut down once -- even if the cost is higher.

Baltimore has long been known for its African-American heritage -- from the famed Pennsylvania Avenue, where Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday once worked, to the homes of Frederick Douglass and Thurgood Marshall.But the problem that continues to stump those hungry for a taste of Charm City's past is how to find some of the historic sites.They might soon have an answer with a contract recently approved by the Board of Estimates. The $166,748 management contract, awarded to the Heritage Resource Group of Virginia, will focus on identifying heritage sites and finding ways to promote them for tourism.

WHEN YOU VISIT the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis, prepare to be underwhelmed.Most of the items probably can be found in public libraries or viewed on the Internet. Although some photographs and exhibits on African-American history will touch the heart and recall a proud, if strife-ridden past, visitors likely will not leave with the feeling of having seen something unique.The sad condition of the museum does not fulfill the vision of the late Benjamin Quarles. The renowned historian was the first chairman of the commission that created and continues to supervise the museum.

Frederick Douglass will be hanging out in Fells Point. Harriet Tubman will talk about her pivotal role in the Underground Railroad. North Pole explorer Matthew Henson will chill you with tales of the arctic.These notable figures from African-American history will be re-created by character actors for the third African-American Renaissance Grand Tour."This is such a mammoth task," says Thomas L. Saunders, co-producer for the four-hour tour. "We bring everything to life. Including the musicians, it takes about 150 people to get this together."

CONSIDER the late Verda F. Welcome's 135-year-old Steinway and weep.Maryland's pioneering senator donated her treasure to the official state repository of African-American history. After a decade of being stored in the basement of a mental hospital, the piano's ivory keys have been stolen; its cabinet is beyond repair.A Baltimore-made Stieff upright that belonged to Herbert M. Frisby, a custodian of the heritage of Matthew A. Henson and an Arctic explorer in his own right, has also been ruined in a rat-infested storage area.

Maryland, birthplace of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Thurgood Marshall, is endowed with one of the richest legacies of African-American history of any state in the union. Before the Civil War, the state was home to the largest population of free blacks in the country, and it also sat squarely athwart a major route of the Underground Railroad through which thousands of slaves escaped to freedom in the North. After the war, new African-American communities sprang up across the state, centered around hundreds of small, fiercely independent churches that provided their congregants with a sense of belonging and a spiritual and physical refuge in an often hostile world.

The history of the American Negro, the educator W.E.B. DuBois wrote in 1903, is the history of strife between opposing forces. "One ever feels his twoness - an American, a Negro; two warring souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body," DuBois wrote in The Souls of Black Folk. DuBois' thoughts are worth bearing in mind as one contemplates the designs proposed for Washington's next major museum, the Smithsonian's $500 million National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Lorraine Wells was about to give up. More than 10 years of searching for clues about the now-deceased father she never knew while growing up in Cumberland had produced nothing. Then the 46-year-old Oakland, Calif., resident got a call from her brother Jeffrey, who lives in Cumberland, about a Web site that chronicles Western Maryland's black history. The Allegany County African American History collection comprises more than 400 images, includes information dating back 200 years - and was created by an amateur historian who happens to be white.

This February, Baltimore and its surrounding areas will be buzzing with Black History Month excitement. These events offer a variety of celebrations and educational opportunities. From concerts and galleries to open forums, there are more ways than ever to enjoy the area's African-American heritage. Here's a sampling: Continuing 'Courage: The Vision to End Segregation, The Guts to Fight for It' : Exhibit tells the story of ordinary people - people outside the traditional power structure, without wealth and often with little classroom education - who led the fight to desegregate schools in the South.

Keturah Stovall, 9, turned to a small mirror and admired the African-inspired pink and orange designs freshly painted on her face. "I like my face," she said softly to her mother, Monique Fitzgerald of Baltimore. "It's beautiful." Stovall and her mother were among those yesterday who visited the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture for its fourth annual Kwanzaa celebration. Organizers said they expected 1,000 people for the daylong event. Yesterday was the second day of Kwanzaa, a seven-day holiday that honors African-American people, history and culture.

In a county that has museums for boats, rural art and duck decoys, John T. Lee Sr. says there is a noticeable omission in Harford's repertoire. For more than 10 years, Lee has advocated for establishing a museum dedicated to African-American history in Harford County. "We haven't had anything that our people can really associate with and feel good about, where people can look and say `That's my uncle, my grandfather,' and make them feel proud and really learn the history," said Lee, a 64-year-old Havre de Grace resident.

For the past few years, the motto of Black History Month has been, "African American History is American History." We don't hear that saying much anymore, which means it's understood. Now, we need a new narrative to address the myths and true stories of Black History Month. Joseph Campbell, the religious and cultural anthropologist, said that in human history there's only one myth - the "monomyth" - and our histories weave their way through stories with high dramas and fierce conflicts as they circle back to self-discovery.

If you've read the stories in newspapers and magazines about black male-female relationships, you'd think that African-Americans never have happy and healthy families. Instead, it seems, we live in a dysfunctional state. And our problems manifest in behaviors that make headlines and become fodder for studies. Here's a sampling of what you might have read: Fewer African-Americans are getting married. And of those who do get hitched, many end up divorced. Many African-American children are being raised in single-parent homes, mostly headed by women.

Before there were Dr. J, Air Jordan, Phi Slamma Jamma, high-fives, sky hooks and finger rolls, there was Harry "Bucky" Lew. Perhaps you've never heard of him. Lew began playing professional basketball in 1902 -- back when double dribbling was permitted in games but African-Americans were not. The Quest For Equality: African-American Pioneers In The Sport of Basketball Exhibit is at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and...

A team from Patuxent Valley Middle School in Howard County won the statewide Black Saga Competition in African-American history yesterday, ending a sudden-death playoff by correctly naming the jazz guitarist who worked with Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk to create bebop. The answer was Charlie Christian. The winners were the cool, experienced eighth-grade team of Whitney Dixon, Bilal Khalid and Ben Jordon. Their final answer, capping a come-from-behind win, sent their less-collected parents leaping from folding chairs and into pandemonium on the floor of a Towson University gymnasium, where the trivia contest was held.