Black Women Conquer the West

Last night the Northwest African American Museum (less than a mile from my apt.) hosted a Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas panel discussion examining the roles that Black women had in conquering and pioneering the West. This was the final panel of the season in their American Heritage Series.
The panel was moderated by Dr. Stephanie E. Smallwood who received her PhD in American History from Duke University (home to the 2010 NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament Champions :) and included Associate Professor and author Dr. Lynn M. Hudson, writer and researcher Esther Hall Mumford, and principal of Browns Point Elementary School in Tacoma Patricia Moncure Thomas.
The discussion began with a short performance by The Hansberry Project of Pearl Cleage's Flyin' West, introduced with a reading by my former Persuasive Communication professor, Vivian Phillips. It was a portrayal of two Black women homesteaders and a conversation that involved dreams of land ownership and equality. Such a great and touching way to start an important conversation like the one that followed.
The discussion was all about the history of the West and the way that regardless of their importance, Black women tend to be left out of it.
As someone who is not Black or from the West I was amazed when this topic really hit home for me. Especially when Patricia Thomas talked about the work that she had done on her genealogy project and the importance of recording the stories of your own family and knowing your ancestry. Patricia has created a book of Moncure (her family name) stories and is her family's historian.
Another fascinating topic of the evening was that of stories and speculations surrounding 19th Century female entrepreneur of African descent Mary Ellen Pleasant also known as Mammy Pleasant. She worked on the Underground Railroad and was considered to be the Mother of Human Rights in California. Panelist Dr. Lynn M. Hudson is author of the book The Making of Mammy Pleasant. Very fascinating stuff!
Last night's panel discussion was not only a history lesson but a life lesson.
And today I begin taking a closer look at my own family's genealogy project.