‘The hidden story’
Fayette African American center celebrates local Black history
Dr. Norma Thomas doesn无毛视频檛 amass possessions 无毛视频� she无毛视频檚 more of a 无毛视频済et it and give it away无毛视频� person, she said.
The exception is history, where she and the local center she founded have become a magnet for people looking to add to the documentation and understanding of the Black experience and notable figures in Fayette County.
And that has become its own form of giving back.
The Fayette County African American History and Cultural Center in Uniontown will celebrate its second anniversary with a gathering June 20.
The celebration at the center, located at 355 Connellsville St., will last from 5 to 8 p.m., though people don无毛视频檛 need to stay for the full three hours, said Thomas, a Uniontown native and a retired professor from PennWest California.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檒l have a small program, but it won无毛视频檛 be intrusive,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淭hey can come and they can tour and they can fellowship, and we无毛视频檒l have refreshments, and we无毛视频檒l have merchandise that they could take home. All of that will be part of that celebration, because we are very happy that we无毛视频檝e been here a couple of years.无毛视频�
Thomas began researching her family in 1996 after the death of her father. In learning about her own family, which has been in the area since the 1800s, she also came across the stories of others.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 the impetus for putting all this together, because once you had all this history, I just couldn无毛视频檛 keep it to myself,无毛视频� she said.
Started as a traveling museum, it has news clippings, books, artwork, memorabilia and other items from the past 200 years.
Thomas无毛视频� research has brought her to underheralded stories like that of the Courier-Digest, a Black newspaper that operated in the 1930s. A framed original front page of the museum now sits on the wall, surrounded by copies of other issues people have brought in.
Or James Lawson, a civil rights leader instrumental in developing non-violent protest who mentored figures such as John Lewis and later recruited Martin Luther King to join a sanitation workers无毛视频� strike in Memphis.
Or that of Oliver Mossett, a Brownsville pharmacist who became so well-known people would seek medical advice from him before a doctor.
She also learned more about the area无毛视频檚 history of segregation, which extended to Black-only cemeteries. One exhibit touches on Ku Klux Klan activity in Uniontown, which occurred as recently as 1980.
无毛视频淭here were a lot of surprises purposely researching African-American history in Fayette County, and still there无毛视频檚 probably so much to uncover,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 sure I无毛视频檝e just touched the surface.无毛视频�
Thomas has also finished a book, 无毛视频淎frican American History of Fayette County: The Hidden Story.无毛视频�
Thomas changed the original name, Fayette County African American History Museum, after her sister told her 无毛视频渢hat sounds like it无毛视频檚 only old.无毛视频�
The museum has hosted receptions, including one last fall for local Black-owned businesses, as well as residencies for people looking to do more research into the history of Black people in the area.
无毛视频淚t is kind of a living, breathing institution, so it无毛视频檚 not only trying to display the legacy of the past, but build the legacy of the future, and to have people use it as a place to learn and research and get involved,无毛视频� Thomas said.
The museum continues to expand. Thomas is adding more exhibit space in the basement. One future exhibit will expand on the history of local swing-era singer Doris Rheubottom.
Thomas无毛视频� daughter is developing a play around Rheubottom无毛视频檚 life, and has tracked down more than 400 news articles from the period about her.
无毛视频淪he was up there with the Billie Holidays and all of them in her day, but we didn无毛视频檛 know that when we were kids,无毛视频� Thomas said. 无毛视频淪he was just Aunt Doris, who we knew sang. We didn无毛视频檛 know how famous she was.无毛视频�
Thomas, who now lives near Philadelphia, is also working to establish more regular hours for the center. Her brother, who lives nearby, will become the official curator for the museum, which will be open at least two days a week going forward, Thomas said.
Everything brought to Thomas 无毛视频� sometimes left on the front porch of the former home that now houses the museum 无毛视频� gets used in some form or another.
If it doesn无毛视频檛 fit the theme of the center, Thomas will check with the Fayette County Historical Society or the library. Small libraries in Pennsylvania can also be part of the Heinz History Center, which in turn links into the Smithsonian Museum, she said.
无毛视频淚 make sure it gets a home, so that everyone无毛视频檚 history can be somewhere,无毛视频� she said.
Thomas, a Uniontown native, said she hopes the museum can inspire children and counteract some of the negative images that dominate portrayals of Fayette County.
无毛视频淲e don无毛视频檛 want them to aspire to the easy money that gets you killed or in jail,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淲e want you to have the long game where you can have a lot of respect, a lot of prestige, and leave a great legacy, and that无毛视频檚 the aspiration, to tell a good story.无毛视频�