Celebrating Black History in Connecticut

While we dedicate the month of February to celebrate Black History, it can be honored year-round in many historic Connecticut landmarks and museums. 

• Did you know that one of America’s most well-known abolitionists, John Brown was born right in Torrington, Connecticut? Although his house was destroyed in a fire in 1918, the property, as well as a granite monument, are maintained by the Torrington Historical Society. In 1859 John Brown lead the Harpers Ferry Raid, an effort to commence an armed slave revolt in the South by overtaking a United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia - an effort that has been recognized as a foreshadowing of the Civil War. The pikes used by Brown and his men were actually crafted by the Collins Company in Collinsville, Connecticut and one can be seen on display at the Canton Historical Museum.
• Honor the service of Connecticut’s first all-black military regiment with a visit to the 29th Colored Regiment Monument at Criscuolo Park in New Haven. The troop faced racism, discrimination, and lower pay than white regiments. Still, they fought courageously and were even the first infantry units to enter Richmond, Virginia after it was abandoned by the Confederate Army. The monument was dedicated in 2008 and beautifully commemorates the soldiers who contributed so greatly to both African American and American history.
• Seek out the stones from the Witness Stones Project in Guilford. This project aims to honor and recognize the lives of enslaved people through stones that are placed in the location of enslavement and identify the enslaved person.
• Explore the impact of Stowe's 1852 anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin at the Stowe Center for Literary Activism in Hartford and engage with collections that belonged to Stowe and her family.
• Did you know that the nation’s first boarding school for young African American women was right in Connecticut? The Prudence Crandall Museum's efforts for equal education helped affirm attitudes against slavery and ultimately won the founder, Prudence Crandall a spot in the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 1995. 
• Check out all the fascinating Black History landmarks up close and in person by taking a look at the Connecticut Freedom Trail.
• Celebrate three centuries of Black strength, resilience, and accomplishment at New London’s Black Heritage Trail. Together, the sites tell a story about Black life in New London while tying into larger stories about enslavement, the Great Migration and the struggle for civil rights.

• Discussion & Screening: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
  February 3, Bristol
   
• The Black Lens: All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (PG)
  February 13, Stamford
   
• Studio@4 | Black History Month Art for Kids
  Various Dates, New Britain
   
• Black History Month Concert: Anthony Smith and Fully Committed
  February 17, Enfield
   
• Yale Child Study Center: Black History Month Special Session
  February 20, New Haven