For 100 years, the nation has recognized the achievements and contributions of Black Americans, and their place in American history during the month of February.

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In 1926, Woodson established the first Negro History Week, aligning it with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, to highlight African American contributions to society. Learn More

Destinations

Join our museum for a cross-country journey—with new destinations each week—to discover the communities, neighborhoods and places that shaped African American trailblazers across the arts, politics, sports, advocacy, and more. 

Carrying the hope of liberty, African Americans used migration as more than simple movement from one locale to another. Their mobility transformed the landscapes of each new environment they encountered.

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Feb. 1: The Fearless Exodusters

Midwest

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Establishing Sites of Comfort and Prosperity
The close of the American Civil War reshaped the nation through massive efforts to reunite the states and reconcile the country across party, racial and geographic lines. We celebrate those fearless Exodusters, whose mass migration from the South and settlement into new spaces brought progress and the hope of liberty to new generations.

The migratory patterns established by early Exodusters created marked tributaries to progress and routes to uplift for successive generations. In addition to advancing education and the identity and cultural formation of African Americans in new spaces, migration helped establish sites of comfort and prosperity for new travelers.

Feb. 8: Millions Travel for a Better Life

Safe and Prosperous Neighborhoods with Sources of Aid
Between 1916 and 1945, two million African Americans courageously migrated from the South in search of better opportunities. The tenacity of the Exodusters helped them create the communities they envisioned by organizing businesses, trade schools and benevolent societies to help Black families flourish.  Among the most successful were the Hill District of Pittsburgh, the Cedar-Central neighborhood of Cleveland, and the Roxbury and Charlestown Navy Yard areas of Boston.

Newspaper advertisements and letters of inquiry to Black newspapers from hopeful job seekers document the urgency and passion with which migrating Blacks sought new opportunities. One excerpt appearing in the Chicago Defender, from a Houston subscriber on April 20, 1917, reads:

“I am 30 years old and have good experience as a freight handler and can fill positions from truck to [Agt.]  Would like Chicago or Philadelphia, but I don’t care where, so long as I go where a man is a man.  Hoping to hear from you soon as I want to leave on or about 15th day of May.  I am yours as ever.”

Feb 15: Migration Brings Demographic Shifts

"The Second Great Migration"
A second African American exodus from the South spanned from 1950-1970 and included migration to Western cities. "The Second Great Migration" brought a dynamic demographic shift in cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Seattle.

Business card for Harold Williams.

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Betty Smith Williams in memory of Harold Louis Williams

Carte-de-visite of a young girl in Napa, California
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Broadside for a James Brown concert at The Showbox
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Homesteader
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Tom N. Wills of Arizona, a Great Roaper
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Itinerary

Architect Harold Williams used his firm to provide better housing with more space for families to grow and live in healthy environments. Williams also focused on buildings that served the public good, including Compton City Hall.

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Los Angeles, Calif.  
Harold Williams Associates, Architects and Urban Planners  

Randolph, Ariz.
Historic African American Community

Phoenix, Ariz.  
Eastlake Park  

Seattle, Wash.  
Central District
KYAC Radio
Liberty Bank

Pittsburgh, Pa.
Greenlee Field
Carnegie Steel
Bedford Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio
Cedar-Central Neighborhood 
The Phillis Wheatley Association
The Majestic Hotel

Boston, Mass.
Plymouth Hospital and Nurses Training School
The Boston Guardian Newspaper

Nicodemus, Kan.
Historic Black Settlement

Topeka, Kan.
The Topeka Plaindealer Newspaper

Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City Royals and Negro National League

Nashville, Tenn.
Birthplace of Benjamin "Pap" Singleton

Rest Stops

Established in 1912 by Willa and Charles Bruce as a welcoming resort for African Americans during an era of segregation, Bruce’s Beach stands today as Manhattan Beach’s oldest park site.

Craig Baker

Bruce's Beach 
2600 Highland Ave.
Manhattan Beach, California

After being turned away from other coastal cities, Willa and Charles Bruce purchased property along the Strand in Manhattan Beach to create a beach resort for the area’s Black community. By 1916, the resort known as Bruce’s Beach was a thriving fixture, with a restaurant, dancehall, changing rooms, and showers.

Built in 1913, The Keystone Inn is owned and operated by three siblings in Gettysburg, Pa.

The Keystone Inn

The Keystone Inn
231 Hanover Road
Gettysburg, Pa.

Just a short walk from stops on the Underground Railroad, The Keystone Inn provides visitors with a historic, 5-star rated haven for travelers in search of a break from the usual.

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Built in 1913, The Keystone Inn is owned and operated by three siblings in Gettysburg, Pa.

The Keystone Inn

Threatt Filling Station in the 1980's.

Charles David Threatt, Threatt Filling Station Foundation

Threatt Filling Station
U.S. Route 66 and Pottawatomi Road
Luther, Okla.

The Threatt Filling Station was founded in 1915 and served as an important and safe gas station and cafe for Black travelers during the Jim Crow period, delivering vital services and shelter.

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Threatt Filling Station in the 1980's.

Charles David Threatt, Threatt Filling Station Foundation

Northwest African American Museum

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