On February 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cottonwood Room, Laramie County Library will host Laramie County Community College history instructor Mary Ludwig as she presents “The Exodusters: Black History in the West,” a powerful presentation that will detail the harrowing 1879 migration of over 15,000 black men, women, and children as they sought new opportunities in western states. Among the stories featured is that of Barney Ford, an African-American who helped establish the Inter Ocean Hotel in Cheyenne.
This event is an exploration of this year’s Black History Month theme, Black Migrations, which, according to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, “emphasizes the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and subsequently to new social realities.” The Exodusters were the first mass migration of black peoples in America since the Civil War, and their western communities proved to be pivotal models of pioneer spirit in the burgeoning frontier.