GREAT FALLS – Great Falls College MSU will celebrate Black History Month with a presentation Thursday, Feb. 23 on African America Heritage in Great Falls and northcentral Montana.
The Black History Month celebration is free, and the public is invited to attend. It will be held at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23 in Room B101 at Great Falls College MSU, 2100 16th Ave. S.
Joshua Archey, Student Activities Coordinator at GFC MSU, wanted this year’s Black History Month event to focus on local history.
“I think that gets lost most of the time,” Archey said. “You hear a lot about black history in relation to the southern United States, but many people don’t realize the impact African American people have had on Montana.”
Local historian Ken Robison will give a presentation focusing on the challenges and successes of Montana’s African Americans from the early years of the Montana Territory to the era of modern civil rights.
“The roots of black discrimination took hold during the Civil War founding of Montana Territory when our remote region became the exile of choice for thousands of Border State and southern secessionists as well as many former slaves and freedmen,” Robison said.
Robison will explore what we can learn from black Civil War veterans that came to Montana, women as they moved from slavery to freedom, and airmen who came to Great Falls during World War II. He’ll also discuss the resources available for researching black history in Montana.
Robison’s new book, “Yankees & Rebels on the Upper Missouri: Steamboats, Gold and Peace,” relates post-Civil War stories of black pioneers. He also maintains a blog titled, “Historical Black Americans in Northern Montana.” Additionally, he has written “Breaking Racial Barriers: ‘Everyone’s Welcome’ at the Ozark Club Great Falls, Montana’s African American Nightclub” in “Montana, A Cultural Medley.”
Great Falls College MSU welcomes and encourages students, faculty, staff, and the community to attend this celebration.
For more information, contact:
Lewis Card
Executive Director—Development, Communications & Marketing
Phone: 406-771-4412
[email protected]
Mary Kay Bonilla
HR Director and Interim Chief Student Affairs Officer
Phone: 406-771-5123
[email protected]
