
By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Tomorrow is the start of Black History Month.
During the month of February, St. Joseph's Black Archives Museum will open up a new Civil Rights exhibit.
St. Joseph Museums spokesperson Kami Jones says there's always been a Civil Rights exhibit at the museum, but this exhibit is completely redesigned
"It is a whole new look at Civil Rights, not only nationally, but how it connects to St. Joseph," Jones tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post
Jones says many people may not know about some of the big Civil Rights movements in St. Joseph.
"Having Mrs. Kelsy Beshears who was kind of the Civil Rights movement here," Jones says. "St. Joe after Brown vs Topeka Board of Education, St. Joe was the first school district in the United States to desegregate after the Supreme Court ruling."
During the month, the museum will also offer free black history and civil rights programming for local school groups. The programming provides an in-depth look at both local and national history of the Civil Rights movement.
Jones says in school students learn about more prominent figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr and Harriet Tubman, but very rarely do they learn about local figures
"Like Mrs. Kelsy Beshears, like Jeffery DeRoine, and you also don't talk about some of those things that went into play like Selma and Alabama voter suppression cases, and the fugitive slave act cases and those sorts of things that were happening to Jeffery DeRoine who is a very prominent person here, no one learns about those things in school," Jones explains.
Jones says the program is to expand upon what students are already learning in school and provide a bigger outlook on things that have been done locally
The program will be free during the entire month of February. It's also provided outside of the month at a cost of $8 per person.
The museum features several exhibits, including a new and redesigned one focused on the Civil Rights movement.
Jones says it's important for people to learn about history, even if its not their own, and it's beneficial to know how far anyone has come
"I think especially, I can't speak so much for the museums in Kansas City, but I think especially with our museum here in St. Joe, people who go through that museum will come down and tell us I never knew that any of this stuff happened in St. Joe, I never knew that we were such a big part of this national fight," Jones says.
Jones adds everyone who comes into the museum walks away with a better understanding of that period of time and how to move forward.

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