CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Chesapeake Church is celebrating Black History month with a pop-up exhibition.
It’s called “Connecting the Past to the Present.”
New Galilee Missionary Baptist Church usually holds annual services for Black History Month, but because of COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, they had to come up with another way to celebrate.
“We turned it into an exhibit," church member Jane Valentine said. "A walk-through to take a look at the things of the past, such as the wind-up record player, the iron we used to heat on the stove, the washboards.”
It’s a look at the lives of Black Americans from the days of the transatlantic slave trade to the Civil War, to emancipation, the civil rights era, and the present.
“Be proud of where you came from," Carolyn Brown said. "Because it’s not where you really came from, it’s where you go.”
The displays have artifacts and biographies of prominent Black Americans throughout history--including the contributions of Black women, Black authors, and Black inventors.
Thelma Cuffee helped organize the event.
“I feel like Black history is American history," she said. “A lot of people don’t know that a lot of Black Americans have invented things that are so useful, like a stoplight."
Event organizers noted Black history was not always taught in school, so they wanted to do something that would educate and inspire people who see it.
“A people without the knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots," Cuffee said.