Tuesday, March 3, 2009

A Dozen Sites Honoring Black History in the US

P. J. Thomas in the Feb. 11th Philadelphia Daily News listed twelve sites that honor black history in America. Some were famous and others weren't.

1. GULLAH/GEECHEE CULTURAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR-- Descendants of enslaved Africans developed their own culture and language during years of living in isolation in the coastal islands of North and South Carolina and Georgia.

2. LOUIS ARMSTRONG HOUSE-- 34-56 107th St. Corona, Queens, NY-- The Armstrongs lived here until their deaths-- Louis in 1971 and Lucille in 1983.

3. MUHAMMAD ALI CENTER-- 144 N. Sixth Street, Louisville, Ky.-- Six story center.

4. AMISTAD MEMORIAL-- 165 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut-- Ten-foot, three panel bronze sculpture dedicated to the 53 slaves who were captured and brought to America aboard the schooner Amistad in 1839. They revolted and overpowered their captors and in a landmark case argued by former president John Quincy Adams, eventually won their freedom.

5. BUFFALO SOLDIERS NATIONAL MUSEUM-- 1834 Southmore Street, Houston,Texas-- After the Civil War, Congress authorized six all-black cavalry units to protect the west from Indians who respectively gave them the name Buffalo Soldiers.

6. BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE-- 1515 SE Monroe Street, Topeka, Kansas-- This was a landmark Supreme Court decision aimed at ending segregation in public schools.

More to Come. --Cooter

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