Juneteenth and Father's Day: A Weekend to Celebrate!

This past weekend was one for honoring the men in our lives, particularly those who helped make our very existence possible. The courage and perseverance of our ancestors who fought for our rights, stood up to injustice, and worked tirelessly for our betterment is vividly portrayed in the following short biographies of some lesser-known but outstanding St. Louisans. We wrote recently about Archer Alexander and John Berry Meachum; if you missed that post, you can find it here. And now we hope you enjoy learning about the contributions of some additional important men of color.

Celebrating Black History: The Underground Railroad in St. Louis and Vicinity

As people migrated west across the American colonies and the newly formed states, they brought the institution of slavery with them. New England and the mid-Atlantic had tolerated slavery, and when the French founded St. Louis, they, too, had enslaved Africans and Native Americans with them. By the time of the Civil War, Missouri was home to both enslavers and those who opposed them. Although Missouri achieved statehood as a slave state in what was called the Missouri Compromise, there was a deep divide in the state over slave ownership. Because of that, when the network of safe houses leading to freedom that we know as the Underground Railroad developed across the country, Missouri, and the St. Louis area, became important in the movement to both free those who were enslaved and, at the same time, to capture those who tried to escape and return them to their enslavers. Let us tell you more . . .

Free Webinars to Celebrate Black History Month!

This mild and so far un-winter-like February brings us Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and, perhaps most importantly, Black History Month. Regardless of your cultural or ethnic heritage, if you are an American, then the experiences of everyone who has lived, worked, and sacrificed for this country are yours too. And the uptick in DNA testing during the past few decades has made it very clear that many of us are more diverse than we had ever imagined.