Black History Month in Upstate NY: Historical sites, monuments and more
Updated Feb 09, 2021;
Black History Month extends through the month of February and in recognition, we take a look at some of the rich history embedded in Upstate New York. Many homes and towns in the state were a part of the Underground Railroad, guiding enslaved Black people to freedom in neighboring communities and Canada.
This list includes historical greats like Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass to maybe lesser known, but none less notable folk like the inventor of the potato chip, a peg-legged tap dancer, a Pulitzer prize winning author, two Grammy-winning artists and one Oscar-winning movie inspiration.
Use this day to reflect , How you can celebrate MLK day in Buffalo this year
Each year, MLK day offers communities across the country a day to celebrate, reflect and act. This year, it s different, but the message remains the same.
and last updated 2021-01-18 06:56:15-05
BUFFALO N.Y. (WKBW) â Each year, MLK day offers communities across the country a day to celebrate, reflect and act. This year, it s different, but the message remains the same. We feel itâs an obligation that we always use opportunities as a means of recognizing our heritage, our history, both nationally international and locally, said Terry Alford, Executive Director of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor.
One of the last times I spoke with George Arthur at length was in July, in a phone conversation. Rep. John Lewis, the legendary champion of American civil rights, had just died in Georgia. Arthur remembered Lewis from some conversations when they served years ago on their respective city councils in Buffalo and Atlanta, and they happened to end up at the same conference.
As usual, to say Arthur simply âknewâ Lewis did not come close enough. They bonded over Buffalo, a city where Lewis made a pivotal childhood visit 70 years ago to stay with relatives who moved away from harsh legal segregation in the South. Lewis told Arthur the Buffalo street on which those cousins lived in the 1950s, and as we talked, Arthur could not quite remember which one it was.