“Memories of Black Schenectady,” a virtual celebration of Black History Month by the Schenectady County Historical Society, will be held 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
The program is serving as a kickoff event for the Schenectady African American Historical Records Project, a collaborative public history effort focused on identifying and preserving a history of the African American community in Schenectady County.
Thursday’s presentation will include a conversation with Miki Conn and Walter Simpkins, moderated by Adonis Richards.
Conn is a Brooklyn native and long-time Schenectady resident whose parents, Margaret Cunningham and Dr. James Cunningham, were two vital pillars in the creation of the Hamilton Hill Arts Center back in 1968. Conn followed in her mother’s footsteps as director of the Hamilton Hill Arts Center from 1999-2011, and her daughter, Rachel Conn, was named director in 2016.
Conn is a graduate of Bethlehem Central High School and also studied at the Junior College of Albany and Howard University where she earned a liberal arts degree. She is the author of two books, “Out of My Mind: A Quirky Look at Life Through Poetry,” and “The Story of House.”
Simpkins, also a Brooklyn native, worked as an admissions recruiter for SUNY-Schenectady and in 2009 created Community Fathers, Inc., a non-profit group aimed at helping fathers, recently released from prison, to re-connect with their children. He is also a well known re-enactor, portraying former slave and black businessman Moses Viney each year as part of Schenectady’s Juneteenth Celebration at Vale Cemetery and Central Park.
Simpkins has a degree in Black history from the City College of New York and a master’s degree in African American Studies from the University at Albany.
Richards is a freelance writer whose resume includes the web site, “Belly Up Sports.”
All three are involved in the historical society’s Schenectady African American Historical Records Project. The goal of the group is to produce a catalog of historical records that identifies where those records are within the community, what condition they are in, and whether or not researchers can access them.
“We hope the survey, the catalog and the records uncovered during the project will become a foundation for future research, preservation and education,” said Marietta Car, librarian/archivist for the society’s Grems-Doolittle Library. “Black people have been part of Schenectady since colonial times, and it’s essential to include Black voices in our understanding of Schenectady’s history.”
The project received a grant award from the Documentary Heritage Program, an initiative of the New York State Archives.
Thursday’s presentation will be on Facebook Live. Anyone wishing more information can contact Carr at the historical society at (518) 374-0263, option 3, or email her at [email protected]
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