When visiting local history museums in various parts of the Red River Region, a glaring omission usually stands out among the collections: there are hardly any artifacts pertaining to African Americans. You'd be hard-pressed to find clothes, every day items, let alone genealogy from the African American families who populated the Red River Valley. In fact, I've found more information on the smattering of German immigrants in our area than I have on black Americans. This is a real shame, because their history helped shape this region into what it is today. The Red River Valley was greatly influenced by Plantation Culture. Slavery existed in Oklahoma as well as in Texas, and for years after emancipation African Americans in the valley were subject to some of the most brutal racist treatment in United States history. Spectacle lynches, where thousands of people would come to witness scheduled renegade executions, were first practiced here. The Ku Klux Klan made themselves well known with their violent hatred and political bullying, and their influence can still be seen in Klan rallies that pop up from time to time. On the brighter side, our region has also been a refuge for freedom lovers, especially Oklahoma. Here is where many freedmen came to settle and begin an unrestrained life free from prejudice and forced labor. So why not give African Americans their rightful place among local history? Local museums tend to follow the "old school" of thought that history belongs to the powerful, and hence only their stories are given importance. Therefore, the history of the masses (i.e., common people) is most often relegated to a few representative items or generic displays. And because of this lack of interest, artifacts from "common" people aren't donated or shared. In addition, African American history is kept separate from the "mainstream." In most cases, the only time a patron can view items from local black families is during African American History Month. I think as historians, it's our duty to get the word out that museums need to tell us the whole story. Along with the obligatory school room set-up, kitchen implement display and high school letterman jacket collections, we should also see how blacks lived in the Red River Valley, what their schools looked like, and how their lives differed from the whites. Also, museums shouldn't be shy about including rather controversial histories - like local lynches. Such a display would be a REAL eye-opener. The Red River Historical Museum in Sherman offers a great example of what a museum can do when retelling a lynching - its display is absolutely fascinating. It's very important to include EVERY ONE when it comes to local history. It'll make history that much more intriguing and genuine. |
 |
| |
 |
| The Red River Historical Museum in Sherman, Texas, has really done an excellent job on incorporating black history into its exhibits. Visit their website to discover this great historic treasure trove! |
| The African American Museum at Fair Park in Dallas is built on the site of the Negro Achievement Building, erected during the 1936 Centennial Fair with money raised within Dallas' black community. That building was the only one of the original Centennial buildings torn down after the fair. |
| The Need to Include African American History |
The Denton County Museums, where I used to work, will be opening up an African American Museum soon. This is exciting news! The curator for the museum, my good friend Kim Cupit, has done a heck of a job amassing information for this important addition to Denton County's history. (photo courtesy Denton County). For more information, click here! |
