Topeka event Saturday to honor historical significance of Exodusters who came to Kansas
An event Saturday will honor the historical significance of the African-Americans known as Exodusters who came in the late 1800s to Kansas, with many staying for a time on what are now the grounds of Stormont Vail Events Center.
The Black American Blueprint Collective will hold its Exodusters Walk/Run & Plaque Unveiling from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday on those grounds, said Morgan Doby of that organization.
The event is planned to become an annual one.
What will happen Saturday?
Saturday's event will include the rededication of Exoduster Boulevard on the Stormont Vail Events Center grounds and the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the Exodusters' enduring legacy in Topeka, Doby said.
The route for Saturday's run/walk will traverse the grounds where the Exodusters were housed, she said.
Saturday's event is among activities being held leading up to next month's celebration here of the 70th anniversary of the historic 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that ended segregation in U.S. public schools.
More information about Saturday's event can be found on the website of the Black American Blueprint Collective, which has a mission of creating pride, self-esteem, dignity, honor and respect within Topeka’s Black community.
Who were the Exodusters?
Thousands of African-Americans began migrating from Southern states to Kansas in the late 1870s, in part because federal troops were being withdrawn and they no longer felt safe.
The name "Exodusters," which was given to those people, originated from "the exodus from Egypt during biblical times," says the website of the Kansas Historical Society. Most Exodusters came to Kansas by steamboat, it said.
What other Black history activities are planned?
Other upcoming Black history activities being held in Topeka include the following:
A free panel discussion from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave., focusing on how Black-owned businesses enabled 4th Street in downtown Topeka to thrive while serving as Topeka's "Black Wall Street" during the first half of the 20th century.
The rededications on May 4 of the bridges here that are named after Lucinda Todd, the first Topekan to agree to be a plaintiff in the Brown v. Board lawsuit, and Nick Chiles, an early Black Topeka newspaper editor. Todd is the namesake of the bridge that passes over Interstate 70 on S.E. 10th between S.E. Madison and Monroe streets. Chiles is the namesake of the bridge that passes over the Shunganunga Creek on S.E. 10th, just west of S.E. Branner Trafficway. Participants will meet at 10 a.m. at S.E. 10th and Monroe.
Bus tours of Topeka African-American History landmarks given by Donna Rae Pearson and Sherri Camp. The tours are being offered from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m. May 11, and 3 to 5 p.m. May 18. Tickets are $60 each but discounted to $40 each if purchased online in advance. They are available at https://black-collective.org/tours/.
A free panel discussion focusing on "Topeka's Black Neighborhoods" from 6 to 8 p.m. May 10 at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave.
The continuing daily display of a traveling exhibit, "Our Stories: African American Topeka Before and After Brown," which will remain until May 19 at the Alice Sabatini Gallery at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave.
For more information, call the Black Collective at 785-409-1625 or email it at info@Black-Collective.org.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka event Saturday honors historical significance of Exodusters
