Kansas Black history offers much more than just Brown v. Board of Education | Opinion

The Feb. 3 edition of USA Today included a “Weekend Extra” section in tribute to Black History Month.

Included in the section was a reference to “places where you can take a deeper dive into African American history and civil rights.”

Nine institutions were listed and briefly described, including the Brown v. Board of Education Historic Park in Topeka.

I was thereafter duly incentivized to write and share additional information regarding the important and rich historical heritage of Kansas.

There is so much more to see in addition to the Brown v. Board facility, which is the only national park dedicated to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools.

In 2019, the Kansas African American Museum was able to complete work on the Kansas African American History Trail, a project funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C.

In addition to TKAAM and Brown v. Board, the trail honors and celebrates these other institutions and sites:

▪ The Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum, which opened in 1992 to honor African American history in Leavenworth.

▪ The Historic Ritchie House in Topeka, which was built in 1856 and served as an Underground Railroad station house.

▪ Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area in Lawrence, which tells the story of the settlement of the frontier, the border and the enduring struggle for freedom by the early pioneers and settlers, including African Americans.

▪ The John Brown Museum in Osawatomie, which includes the Adair Cabin, where you can walk on the original hardwood floor where John Brown and his family members once walked back prior to the initiation of the Civil War.

▪ The Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott, where you can learn about the internationally known photographer, filmmaker, writer and composer who was born in Fort Scott in 1910.

▪ The Nicodemus National Historic Site, which honors Black Kentuckians who headed to Kansas in the 1870s to establish new lives for themselves as landowners. It is the only remaining such settlement west of the Mississippi River.

Of course, there is Wichita’s Kansas African American Museum, which has been honoring and celebrating the stories of struggle, courage, accomplishments and achievements for 25 years.

As we continue to develop, promote and expand the trail, I want to reference other locations of note and importance: the Dunlap Colored Cemetery, Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie, the historic fort in Fort Scott, the historic town of Quindaro and Western University, and the recently dedicated lynching marker in Salina.

I have always considered African American history to be part and parcel of American history.

As we continue to commemorate Black History Month, I hope that you will strongly consider the current opportunities to learn more about our city, our state and our country.

Expanding our knowledge and insight is so important today.

Ted D. Ayres is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas African American Museum, a retired Wichita State University vice president and WSU general counsel emeritus.