'Together As One: The Journey Continues' celebrates Black History Month with over a dozen community partners

Buffalo African American Museum Press Release

The Buffalo African American Museum is excited to announce the fourth annual “Together As One: The Journey Continues,” a regionwide celebration of Black History Month.

“Together as One: The Journey Continues” is a collaborative initiative launched in February of 2023 that features a comprehensive digital guide for discovering Black History Month exhibits and programs at cultural sites across Western New York. The idea is the brainchild of Clifford Bell, chairman of the Buffalo African American Museum, who aimed to bring the community “together as one” to observe and celebrate the contributions of African Americans.

The coordinated effort led by the Buffalo African American Museum includes the following participating organization: Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, African American Cultural Center, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor, The Nash House Museum, Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition, Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, The Buffalo History Museum, The Coles House Project, Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, Mount Calvary Heritage Foundation, Calvary Baptist Church and Open Buffalo.

To learn more about exhibits and programs at all participating organizations, visit www.bfloafricanamericanmuseum.org.

More about the Buffalo African American Museum: BAAM’s mission is to build a historical and educational museum that celebrates the rich heritage, culture and life experiences of African Americans by providing authentic presentations and representations of the contributions African Americans have made to the history and the development of the City of Buffalo and Western New York, through art and other cultural exhibits and displays.

With the main purpose to house and promote exhibits that reflect Buffalo African American history, BAAM curates traveling exhibits while working toward having a physical structure to house historic content. The first exhibit curated by the Buffalo African American Museum featured the founding and history of the Michigan Avenue YMCA.

BAAM was founded by Bell, a community activist in Buffalo. He is the former chairperson of the Dr. Martin Luther King birthday celebration committee and one of the pioneers of the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Trust Fund. Both committees led to the establishment of the historic MLK Monument Plaza in MLK Jr. Park. Bell has dedicated his life to working with local city, state, business and community groups to improve Buffalo.