Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/10149
Nowhere in the pre-Civil War South was the slave- based agriculture economy more dominant or fully developed than in the region of Natchez, MS. As a result, there are many African-American experiences that are worthy of being sustained throughout history, subse- quently, much to see, experience and learn. The Natchez Museum of African-American History and Culture’s current exhibits encompass an era from the 1890s to the 1950s and include over 600 original items such as “Portraits of Black Natchez,” The Rhythm Night Club Fire, and Beginnings of America’s Cotton Kingdom. At the Mostly African Market, located at 125 St., art is exhibited by various artists throughout the year. African and African-American regional art and crafts are fea- tured. Try to schedule your trip to Natchez in early to mid July in order to participate in the annual Blues Festival. Located in downtown Natchez, the William Johnson House complex consists of the actual Johnson home. William Johnson, a free Black barber in Natchez, used bricks from buildings destroyed in the infamous tornado of 1840 to construct the State Street estate and commer- cial business area. The William Johnson House, recently renovated by the National Park Service, allows guests to learn more about the life of free African-Americans in the pre-Civil War South. Guests will also learn about the extensive diary kept by William Johnson from 1835 to his death in 1851, which detailed everyday life in Natchez. Although a Black man, at the time of his death, Johnson owned 16 slaves. He writes openly in his diary about his slaves and his trial and tribulations of being a slave owner. In the state of Florida, many Historic Sites and Venues can be found. In Miami, in 1997 the Haitian Art Factory opened its doors to the public. This bright little shop, wedged cozily between Little Haiti and Miami Beach gets many return visitors as it is often refreshed with new paintings, sculptures, sequined pieces, and other decorative accessories from Haiti, as well as other Caribbean and African art. The African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Miami serves as a nesting ground for emerging talent in the performing and visual arts. The facility houses a 300-seat music hall with rehearsal/practice rooms, the 250-seat fully outfitted Wendell A Narcisse Performing Arts Theater, a 1,900-sq. ft. dance studio, and several multipurpose classrooms for ceramics, photography, band, painting, and chorus. The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale is a general-service library, as well as a research facility and cultural center containing more than 75,000 books and related materi- als that focus on the experiences of people of African descent. The center features literary collections of African-American authors, Books and artifacts from Africa, the Caribbean, and North and South America. In Gainesville, Florida visit the Pleasant Street Historic District, which contains the oldest Black residential area 60 African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Gainesville and has remained the religious, educa- tional and social center for the Black community for over a hundred years. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, AL signifies that this city does not try to hide from its past. The institute captures the spirit and drama of the countless individuals, both well known and unsung, who dared to confront racial discrimination and bigotry. The institute views the lessons of the past in a positive way to chart new direction for the future. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute institute’s permanent exhibitions are a self-directed journey through the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the human rights struggles of today. It’s located in the Historic Civil Rights District surrounded by the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of the 1963 bombing that killed four African-American girls, Kelly Ingram Park, and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. There is an admis- sion fee for adults and children; however, Sunday’s are always free to the public. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest baseball park in the nation, Rickwood Field Park in Birmingham on 2nd Ave. served as the home park for the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Baseball legends Rollie Fingers, Burleigh Grimes, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays and Satchel Paige all played there. Black Meetings & Tourism March/April 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com