Black History Month

Minnesota's African American history begins with pioneers who trapped, traded and developed lasting relationships with the Indian nations. In the 1790s, Pierre Bongo (Bonga or Bungo), a free black fur trader, came to the territory and married an Ojibwe woman. Their son, George Bonga, born in 1802, was Minnesota's first recorded African American birth. George became a fur trader, too, as well as an important interpreter who helped negotiate agreements between the Ojibwe and the U.S.

African Americans have lived in Minnesota since the 1800s. The local African American population developed from individuals who were born in the state as well as those who migrated to Minnesota from other states in search of a better life. Despite being subjected to discrimination and inequality, African Americans established communities and institutions that contributed to the vibrancy of the state.

A Minnesota Historical Society initiative that centers Black narratives, history, and issues through programs, content, and resources created by members of Minnesota’s Black community to deepen the understanding of Black history and the contributions Black Americans have made to Minnesota.

Every weekday this February 2019, MPR News is featuring black Minnesotans who are making history right now across the state. Each profile will discuss what being black in Minnesota means to them, a bit about their background and their hopes for the future.

The horrifying and senseless death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police has thrown Minnesota into a state of grief and turmoil.
It's yet another example of the racism that black, brown and indigenous Minnesotans live with every day. It's also an opportunity for us to join together and rewrite the rules so everyone, with no exceptions, can thrive without fear, care for their families, have their voices heard, and their rights respected.
Here are some things you can do.

The Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery (MAAHMG) is a Minnesota non-profit organization that was founded in 2018.
The Museum's purpose is to preserve, record and highlight the achievements, contributions and experiences of African Americans in Minnesota.

As Minnesota’s population continues to diversify, data disaggregated by race can help to understand the strengths, needs, and quality of life of specific populations. Data by race and ethnicity are also used to evaluate government programs and policies to ensure that they fairly and equitably serve the needs of all racial groups and to monitor compliance with antidiscrimination laws, regulations, and policies.

Provides learning opportunities, exhibitions, programs and events based on collections and research that explore the diverse history and culture of African Americans and their African origins.

African American history, culture and art exhibits.

Promotes the legacy of educator Ms. Lucy Craft Laney through art and history.

The Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery (MAAHMG) is a Minnesota non-profit organization that was founded in 2018.
The Museum's purpose is to preserve, record and highlight the achievements, contributions and experiences of African Americans in Minnesota.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture.

The Smithsonian's NMAFA fosters the discovery and appreciation of the visual arts of Africa.

In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story.

Black History Month happens every February. But the Black community’s impact on America goes way beyond a mere 28 days. This podcast delves into Black history all year round, while also providing nuanced conversations about race and inequality in the U.S.

What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between. This podcast makes all of us part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story.

Objects hold history. They're evocative of stories stamped in time. As part of The Washington Post's coverage of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture, people submitted dozens of objects that make up their own lived experiences of black history, creating a "people's museum" of personal objects, family photos and more. The Historically Black podcast brings those objects and their stories to life through interviews, archival sound and music.

Wesley Morris and J Wortham are working it out in this weekly show about culture in the broadest sense. That means television, film, books, music — but also the culture of work, dating, the internet and how those all fit together.

"African American Perspectives" gives a panoramic and eclectic review of African American history and culture and is primarily comprised of two collections in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division: the African American Pamphlet Collection and the Daniel A.P. Murray Collection with a date range of 1822 through 1909. Most were written by African-American authors, though some were written by others on topics of particular importance in African-American history. Among the authors represented are Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Benjamin W. Arnett, Alexander Crummel, Emanuel Love, Lydia Maria Child, Kelly Miller, Charles Sumner, Mary Church Terrell, and Booker T. Washington, among others.

The African American Wellness Project was organized to respond to the inequities in health care delivery that exists between African Americans and the rest of America to improve health outcomes and promote wellness.

Established in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, ASALH creates and disseminates information about Black History for the global public.

This web portal is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration to pay tribute to the generations of Black Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.

Since 1999, The HistoryMakers has been recording African American oral histories to refashion a more inclusive record of American history and to educate and enlighten millions worldwide.

The King Research and Education Institute provides an institutional home for a broad range of activities illuminating King's life and the movements he inspired.

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

Facts about African American from the US Census Bureau