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African-American History Trail To Be Designated In Kansas

Wichita’s Kansas African American Museum has received a grant to establish a trail linking ten sites that have important roles in African American history in the state.

The Kansas African-American History Trail will include the town of Nicodemus, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, the Langston Hughes Center in Lawrence, and the Negro League Baseball Museum. The funds, totaling nearly $135,000, were awarded by the Institute of Museum and Libraries Services in Washington, D.C.

Mark McCormick, director of the Kansas African American Museum, says the state has an abundance of history that even people here in Kansas don’t know about.

“I do not think you can have an intelligent conversation about the African American experience in this country without spending a great deal of time talking about Kansas," McCormick says. "My goal was for Kansas to take its rightful place in these discussions.”

The two-year grant will help pay for a manager for the project to coordinate activities and signage at the sites, as well as a mobile website to guide people to each location. McCormick says the project will help expand the museum's reach to every region of the state while raising awareness about the historic contributions of African Americans.

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Follow Abigail Wilson on Twitter @AbigailKMUW.

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