Category Archives: African American history

Studying the Black Power Movement at the AHC 

Researchers looking for information on the Black Freedom Movement can find relevant materials throughout the collections held at the American Heritage Center. These include the papers of Wyoming politician Harriet Byrd, bull rider Abe Morris, African American church records, and … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Political history, Social justice, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bill Walker: Advocate for Black Actors

William Franklin “Bill” Walker was born in Pendleton, Indiana, in 1896. The grandson of slaves who had escaped to the North on the Underground Railroad, he was the first Black graduate of Pendleton High School. A well-rounded student, he lettered … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr./Wyoming Equality Day

Martin Luther King, Jr./Wyoming Equality Day falls on the third Monday in January. It marks a time of remembrance and reflection on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his relentless quest for equality, human rights … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Martin Luther King Jr., Political history, Social justice, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“The aroma of hypocrisy”: The Development of “Molasses to Rum” in 1776.

As a musical theatre scholar, it isn’t often that my search for archival materials takes me outside of New York City. As a result, it was a pleasure to be able to visit the American Heritage Center in Laramie, Wyoming. … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Composers, music, Musicals, Political history, Slavery, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Emancipation Day at Cheyenne’s Allen Chapel AME Church

You’ve probably heard of Juneteenth, but have you ever heard of Emancipation Day? Emancipation Day has been celebrated on different dates in the U.S. since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. The tradition of Watch … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, community collections, Digital collections, Local history, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carrie Burton Overton, UW’s First African American Female Student

Author, Wyoming historian, and sixth generation Laramie native Kim Viner wrote a wonderful article in WyoHistory.org about Carrie Burton Overton, the University of Wyoming’s first African American female student. In this post I’d like to spotlight information that Kim discovered. … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, University of Wyoming history, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Searchlight Club: Elevating Cheyenne’s African American Women

August 26 marks the date in 1920 when American women were enfranchised equally with their male counterparts. Nonetheless, African American women continued facing barriers to voting for decades, as well as negative stereotypes, harassment, and unequal access to jobs, housing, … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Uncategorized, Western history, Women -- suffrage, Wyoming, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Vivid Life and Photographs of June Vanleer Williams

June Vanleer Williams was born on June 24, 1921, in Cleveland, Ohio. She was the first African American woman to be in a Stanford University Journalism fellowship program. She was part of the program from 1969 to 1970. As a … Continue reading

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New Finding Aids: September 2019

Another productive month for our archivists at the American Heritage Center. Here’s another round of finding aids we’ve published so you can see what collections we’ve recently processed. As a reminder, Finding Aids act as a table of contents for … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Digital collections, energy resources, Finding Aids, Laramie, Local history, motion picture history, newly processed collections, Politics, Ranch history, resources, Student Life, University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming history, western politics and leadership, Wyoming, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Archives Rewind Vol. 5

Welcome back! It’s that time again — more highlights from rewinding our “Archives on the Air” series. Let’s get Volume 5 on rewind… Episode 163 – Wyoming Defends Woman’s Suffrage – Morton E. Post Famly Papers  Women’s Suffrage has been … Continue reading

Posted in African American history, Archives on the Air, Blacklisting, Bolivian history, Communism, Gale McGee, Local history, Martin Luther King Jr., Motion picture actors and actresses, Politics, Suffrage -- United States, Women -- suffrage, women's history, Wyoming, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment