Black History Project

Black History Project Reboots Oral History/Collections Project

This early 1960s clipping from the State Farm ALFI News is among the treasures preserved and digitized by the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project.

This early 1960s clipping from the State Farm ALFI News is among the treasures preserved and digitized by the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project.

Bloomington-Normal Black History Project (BNBHP) 2.0 Saturday presented "Resistance and Progress: 1960 to the Present," a special program to reboot the Black History Project’s oral history and collections efforts. The Bloomington-Normal Black History Project was founded in 1982 and its collections span the 19th and 20th centuries.

The program featured a public reminiscence panel discussion between long-time Bloomington-Normal residents and area youth, as well as a local history performance by students in the community and a dance performance by Breaking Chains and Advancing Increase (BCAI).  "Soul food" fare was provided by Cooking with Love.

The McLean County Museum of History is the repository for the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project, collecting stories and preserving them for future generations. The Bloomington-Normal Black History Project was founded in 1982 and its collections span the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection contains photographs, portraits, booklets, articles, and photocopies related to club organizations and churches of the local black community. In 1989, the Black History Project was affiliated with the McLean County Historical Society, which now serves as a repository for the project's collections. 

To learn more about the BNBHP, visit
http://www.mchistory.org/research/resources/blackhistory/