BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2022: HISTORY
A LOOK AT SOME LOCAL HISTORY
REMEMBERING CAESAR
We have precious little reliable documentation about the subject himself—only traditional stories asserting that Caesar was the very last slave manumitted in New York State and that he endured so long in bondage that he outlived three or four generations of masters on the Nicoll family estate in Bethlehem, New York, west of Albany. According to the inscription on his marble tombstone, Caesar was born in 1737 and died in 1852—which would mean he lived to be an astounding 115 years old.
'STIRING UP SUCH A STORM'
Margaret Cunningham and Arlen Westbrook recount the nasty reaction that made them social outcasts and how they bonded as a result of the racism in their new book, "Integrating Delmar: The Story of a Friendship." It is self-published. The Cunninghams are believed to have been the first black family to move into Delmar in September 1957. They relocated from Alaska where Dr. Cunningham worked as a tuberculosis specialist.
THE BROTHERS
The struggle for Civil Rights took place all over the county and was not just isolated in the South. Join us to learn more about Albany's history of the Civil Rights Movement and an activist group called The Brothers.
CIVIL RIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
MightyTimes.asfMIGHTY TIMES: THE CHILDREN'S MARCH
A 2004 American short documentary film about the Birmingham, Alabama civil rights marches in the 1960s, highlighting the bravery of young activists involved in the Children's Crusade. It was directed by Robert Houston and produced by Robert Hudson.
AtimeForJustice.asfA TIME FOR JUSTICE
The story of the American civil rights movement as told by those ho fought the battle for the right to vote during the 19650s and 1960s. It depicts the struggle through the experiences of its foot soldiers: the men and women who rode where they weren't supposed to ride; walked where weren't supposed to walk; sat where they were not supposed to sit. And who stood their ground until they won their freedom. A Time for Justice uses the first-hand testimony of participants and stunning archival footage to present a concise and compelling look at the grass-rots movement that sought to extend the fruits of democracy and basic human dignity to all of the nation's people.