MBH

The Bronx County Historical Society's Museum of Bronx History launches two exhibits on this history of people of African descent in the Bronx!

These exhibitions - “The Bronx African-American Experience” and “Morrisania Memories” - are a natural extension of the partnership formed between The Society and Fordham University’s Department of African and African American Studies that has created The Bronx African American History Project to document the history and heritage of Bronxites of African descent. In addition to examining its own holdings in the preparation of these exhibitions, the Project’s researchers, and volunteers have contributed documentation through music, oral histories, material culture collections, as well as technical and scholarly advice, in this collaborative process.

There are now over a half million people of African descent living in The Bronx, well over a third of the population of the borough. African Americans have been an integral part of Bronx history of the Bronx since colonial times, have contributed greatly to the borough's cultural and political history, and have recently played a major role in the borough's revitalization, but there has been almost nothing written about this large and diverse population. This lack of documentation and absence of primary source material prompted the establishment of The Bronx African American History Project, today in its third year.

“The Bronx African-American Experience” is an overview of Bronx African-American history from the 17th century. “Morrisania Memories” takes a closer look at the solid cultural, religious, and educational roots put down in Morrisania’s African-American community from the 1940s into the early 1960s that fostered, among many things, a rich musical tradition that has resonated worldwide.

The exhibts open with a reception for members and friends on on Thursday, October 20th from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, and will be on display until Sunday, April 16, 2006.

The Museum of Bronx History is open Saturdays 10AM-4PM, Sundays 1PM-5PM [group tours available during the week by appointment]. Admission is $3.00 general public; $2.00 - children, seniors, students. For further information call (718) 881-8900 or visit The Bronx County Historical Society’s website at www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org