Black History Quest Returns! History Nerds Rejoice!
Do you get hype for Black history? Can you vibe with archives? If so, you might be an Oregon Black Pionerd like us!
We’re here to dig through history’s mysteries to ask the Big Questions, and maybe uncover an answer! Yep, Black History Quest is a program about the process; how history is discovered. As Black pionerds, we’re proud to don the white gloves and pore over pages of old newspapers, to haunt the local libraries to hunch over microfiche, and to geek out with history buffs over a pint after the seminar is over.
History may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we’re here to celebrate those who are down to drink it. And whatever we find, we’re excited to spill it!
With support from The Roundhouse Foundation, we’ve recruited a different History Investigator every other month to help us reveal the hidden stories behind select artifacts from the OBP research files. Take a peek behind the process as experts and novices alike take on questions that have perplexed researchers of Oregon’s African American history. In each episode we’ll learn about the challenges and surprises of doing historical research, and try to learn how one source can change history.
Black History Quest streams live and is archived on the Oregon Black Pioneers YouTube and Facebook pages.
Stay tuned to OBP’s Instagram and Facebook pages, and sign up for our Monthly Newsletter for reminders!
Our 2024 BHQ History Investigators are:
- January 31, 7:00 PM – Sevilla Rhoads & kids, curious homeschoolers, & Brad Lemmon, volunteer genealogist, historian, and archaeology buff (Brown’s Mountain) Archived here!
- March 20, 7:00 PM – Larry Landis, archivist (retired) at Oregon State University (1920 rise in Black college students) Archived here!
- May 22, 7:00 PM – Richard Engeman, archivist and historian (1865 Wasco County poll tax) Archived here!
- July 31, 7:00 – Dr. Ramycia McGhee, city councilor, scholar, and professor at Linn-Benton Community College (Martha Anderson lawsuit against RCA) Archived here!
- September 25, 7:00 PM – Taylor Stewart, Founder of the Oregon Remembrance Project (Oregon’s Green Book locations) Archived here!
- November 19, 7:00 PM – Jeff LaLande, archaeologist and historian (Black CCC workers in Oregon) Archived here!
Black History Quest: Season One is here!
Music: Black Pioneers by Luvjonez Music ©2023, used with permission