From the desk of Harvest Foundation President Kate Keller
Throughout the month of February, we had the opportunity to celebrate — to celebrate love and the rich history of African Americans in our community, recognizing how well they go together.
This week we are partnering with the Fayette Area Historical Initiative (FAHI) to tell stories of African American community members and their experiences in Martinsville-Henry County. These are stories that show the love of this community and they reflect a complex past of both trauma and prosperity.
Learning the history of the local Black community allows us to understand what MHC is today. We honor those who built this community through enslavement and then rose up to build their own American Dream. You will learn that this journey was challenging, but several Martinsville residents created economic opportunities for the African American community that may not have existed elsewhere.
It’s through understanding the past that we truly can see its mark on today. How do we come together as a community to fully understand our shared history and acknowledge the path leading us here? Watching these videos will certainly help everyone see the rich history of the region. I also hope it will bring viewers a deeper understanding that history isn’t really that far away, and acknowledgment that our journey is far from complete.