MNCPPC Celebrates Black History Through Migration and Immigration

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The Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission celebrates and honors African-American heritage with this year's exhibit entitled, “Moving Out, Moving In, Moving Up: The Story of Black Migration and Immigration in Prince George’s County”.  The exhibit is curated by the Black History Program, which strives to provide black history 365 days a year.

The opening reception for the exhibit took place January 27, 2019 at the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, Maryland.

The exhibit explores the unprecedented number of African Americans that moved from the rural South to the urban North in search of a better life. It explores the factors spurring black migration and immigration as well as the resulting changes in society on the national, regional and local levels.

Guests of the opening reception were able to digitally tell their migration stories to Prince George’s County.

The exhibited is open from January 27-February 28, 2019, daily from 10AM-5PM at Montpelier Arts Center located at 9562 Muirkirk Road, Laurel, MD 20708 for no cost.

The Black History Program will also host a number of programs surrounding this theme throughout the month of February. They include:

  • A panel discussion entitled “The Other Immigrants: A discussion of Black Immigration” that will explore the experiences of people from the African diaspora that immigrated to the United States.

  • A panel discussion and mini-housing fair entitled “Living the American Dream: The Path to Home Ownership” where attendees can discuss obstacles within the regional housing market and how to overcome these obstacles in order to embark on the path to homeownership with real estate professionals.

  • A film screening of “What Happened 2 Chocolate City”, followed by a discussion with the director that explores gentrification through the story of three Washingtonians and chronicles the demographic shift in the city with the decline of its black majority.

For more information about these events, visit the Black History Month Guide Book or http://www.pgparks.com/1378/Black-History.