Celebrating Black History in the Farmington River Watershed

Take a moment with us to learn how black history that helped to shape the culture and identity of the Farmington River Watershed. We've included links below to resources about:

-Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's time working in Simsbury (and the memorial dedicated to his journey at the Simsbury Free Library, FRWA's headquarters)

-The story of the Amistad captives in Hartford and Farmington

-The underground railroad in Connecticut

-Local and national groups currently working to advance environmental justice and intersectionality in our watershed and in communities that receive drinking water from the Farmington River

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Black History in Connecticut and Massachusetts:

The Simsbury Free Library: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in Simsbury- https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/exhibits/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-in-simsbury/

MLK in CT memorial website- https://www.mlkinct.com/

East Coast Greenway: MLK's Simsbury summers planted seeds for career- https://greenway.org/stories/local-knowledge-mlk-s-simsbury-summers-planted-seeds-for-career

Connecticuthistory.org: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Time in Connecticut- https://connecticuthistory.org/dr-kings-dream-had-roots-in-connecticut/

National Parks Service: Travel the Amistad Freedom-Seeking Story, Connecticut- https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travelamistad/visit.htm

Farmington Historical Society: The Amistad Captives- https://fhs-ct.org/?p=253

Connecticuthistory.org: The Amistad- https://connecticuthistory.org/the-amistad/

CT Freedom Trail- https://ctfreedomtrail.org/

Celebrating Black History in Connecticut- https://ctvisit.com/articles/black-history-month-activities-connecticut

Connecticuthistory.org: Black History Resources- https://connecticuthistory.org/black-history-month-resources/

Umass Amherst: Documenting the Early History of Black Lives in the Connecticut River Valley- https://websites.umass.edu/pvhn-blackhistory/

Black History Month in Massachusetts- https://www.visitma.com/blog/black-history-month-in-massachusetts/

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Organizations Making History Today:

Nonprofit Accountability Group- https://www.naghartford.org/

Keney Park Sustainability Project- https://keneyparksustainability.org/about/

NAACP Berkshires: Black-Centered Organizations- https://www.naacpberkshires.org/black-centered-organizations-berkshires/

Association of African American Museums- https://blackmuseums.org/

Black Organizations Directory: https://blackorganizations.com/

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Is your organization working to advance environmental justice in the Farmington River Watershed? Email hgeist@frwa.org and we would be happy to add you to this list!