Tag: Black History

Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom: Free People of Color and the Fight for Equal Rights in the Civil War Era

Join the Delaware Historical Society on December 3 as we host Dr. Warren Milteer Jr. for a talk on his groundbreaking new work, Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom: Free People of Color and the Fight for Equal Rights in the Civil War Era.

Free people of color were both architects of equal rights and active participants in the Civil War, on and off the battlefield. Their unique status as already free persons before emancipation shaped their experiences of military service, political activism, and community life in ways distinct from those newly freed from slavery and affected how they navigated the pursuit of equal rights. Centering their voices and histories, Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom shows how their sacrifices and strategies helped forge America’s path toward justice, reshaping our understanding of freedom and their enduring legacy in the national story.

Tickets $5. Purchase here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/out-of-this-strife-will-come-freedom

Mapping the Delaware Diaspora: Life & Legacy of Samuel E. Cornish

Dr. Anne Garner, from New York Historical, will discuss Cornish’s life and work and the materials historians and researchers can use to learn about historical figures.

Cornish was born free in Sussex County, Delaware in 1795. He organized the first Black Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York, and he co-founded Freedom’s Journal, the first Black newspaper in the United States, which spurred the foundation of the Black press.

Mapping the Delaware Diaspora is an online series that puts the Delaware Historical Society’s collections into conversation with other repositories around the nation to showcase the Delaware stories available to researchers and learners. These hour-long Zoom events with cultural heritage professionals and researchers will expose audiences to research methods, new stories of Delawareans, and the wealth of resources available to them in museums, libraries, and archives.

Tickets $5. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/mapping-samuel-cornish
Zoom link will be provided after registration.

Ancestral Dream, Living Blueprint

An ancestor dreamed a church into being. That church dreamed a community into action. The dream continues. The blueprint lives in the people, not the walls.

Explore this temporary exhibition from Peter Spencer’s founding dream, through gathering and resilience, to the living congregation that carries the blueprint forward — even after the Mother African Union Church was damaged by a two-alarm fire.

On display in the Mitchell Center Theater at the Delaware History Museum through October 17, 2026. Exhibition is included with Museum admission fees.

August Quarterly Liberation Fest

Join the Mother African Union Church and the Delaware Historical Society for a Friday night block party to celebrate the arts during this year’s August Quarterly!

Incorporating the theme of the Harlem Renaissance, the evening will feature movement and dance by Pieces of a Dream Dance Group and music by Best Kept Soul Band, along with dialogue, food trucks, and other vendors. Guests are asked to wear all-white attire. 

This free community event is co-curated with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Mitchell Center Cultural Film Series: Seeking Mavis Beacon

The Mitchell Center Cultural Film Series returns!
Join us October 3 at 1 p.m. for the first screening, Seeking Mavis Beacon. The 2024 documentary covers the search for the real-life woman who served as the face of Mavis Beacon, the fictional instructor in the widely used typing software Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.
Included with Museum admission.

Restore & Remember: John Bell House

Pack your gardening gloves and lace up your sneakers for a walking tour with First State Heritage Park followed by community cleanup at the John Bell House.

The John Bell House is operated by First State Heritage Park. It includes three historic gardens representing the three main communities who existed in Dover in the 18th century – Indigenous, Enslaved, and English. The three historic gardens utilize heirloom seeds of each community group as well as their unique gardening practices.

During this Restore & Remember event, in addition to helping with the John Bell House site, we will clean up the general Dover Green area that bore witness to the American Revolution, ratification of the constitution, and enslavement.

Attendees will participate in a walking tour with First State Heritage Park interpreters to learn about the history of the Dover Green and the John Bell House site. After learning about the history and the significance of these spaces to Delaware’s Black history, we will use our remaining time to do gardening upkeep and trash pickup.

Free event. Registration required: https://dhs.givecloud.co/restore-remember-john-bell-house

Who Raised You? Community Open Mic Night

As the closing event of Black Storytelling Week, we invite community members, Wilmington Black Storytelling Residency alumni, and invited guests to take the mic and share the impactful, funny, emotional, and relatable personal stories that shaped their lives. 

Black Storytelling Week is an annual holiday for passing down family history. Each year, during the second week of September, we encourage every Black family to spend one hour sharing their family history. The purpose of the holiday is to rebuild a culture of sharing stories and history across generations – and in doing so, inspire connection and healing within Black families across the world.

Before books, films, and podcasts, our culture and history were passed down through oral tradition. From stories, and music, to recipes and remedies for wellness and survival, the spoken word was a format we revered and held sacred. This holiday reimagines oral tradition as a means to preserve our cultures, reclaim how we teach them, and ensure they live on for years to come.

Tickets $10. Purchase tickets: https://dhs.givecloud.co/who-raised-you

Please note: Your ticket purchase is for admission to the event. If you would also like to participate by sharing a story, be sure to register and arrive early on the day of the event to sign up for a speaking slot. Spaces will be available that day, on a first-come, first-served basis, and all stories will be limited to 5 minutes to allow us to accommodate more speakers.

Stories in Focus: A Photo-Telling Workshop

Join the Delaware Historical Society on September 14 at 6 p.m. for Stories in Focus: A Photo-Telling Workshop, part of Black Storytelling Week. Learn from historians and storytellers how photos and materials from family history collections can be used to weave stories that can be passed on to future generations.

Black Storytelling Week is an annual holiday for passing down family history. Each year, during the second week of September, we encourage every Black family to spend one hour sharing their family history. The purpose of the holiday is to rebuild a culture of sharing stories and history across generations – and in doing so, inspire connection and healing within Black families across the world.

Tickets $15. Purchase here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/stories-in-focus

These Houses Were Homes: 5 Generations of Black Community in Old New Castle

Join us for an immersive learning experience as we walk through Old New Castle and discuss the history and culture of generations of Black families who lived and worked there.

The 2026 tours expand upon Dr. Melissa Benbow Flowers’ research at the Read House on the African American population of Old New Castle with additional source materials, a revamped route and accompanying map, and a special focus on the time period from 1776-1876.

Tickets $25. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/these-houses-were-homes-2026

Space is limited, and advance registration is required. To enhance the enjoyment of all participants, we kindly request that walking tour registrants be at least 12 years old. Please note that the historic neighborhoods in Old New Castle feature uneven walkways that may not be suitable for those needing mobility assistance.

These Houses Were Homes: 5 Generations of Black Community in Old New Castle

Join us for an immersive learning experience as we walk through Old New Castle and discuss the history and culture of generations of Black families who lived and worked there.

The 2026 tours expand upon Dr. Melissa Benbow Flowers’ research at the Read House on the African American population of Old New Castle with additional source materials, a revamped route and accompanying map, and a special focus on the time period from 1776-1876.

Tickets $25. Register here: https://dhs.givecloud.co/these-houses-were-homes-2026

Space is limited, and advance registration is required. To enhance the enjoyment of all participants, we kindly request that walking tour registrants be at least 12 years old. Please note that the historic neighborhoods in Old New Castle feature uneven walkways that may not be suitable for those needing mobility assistance.