By 2010 the census reported the black population in the state to be at 5 percent. Retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, 73, was Minnesota's first black Supreme Court justice and is the founder of the Page Education … ​A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. The black population began growing significantly between 1950 and 1970 during the "great migration" of African Americans from southern states. Founder Ben Mchie was inspired to create the registry 20 years ago with the goal of bringing the full picture of African American history into schools year-round. Coventry Cowens is the co-founder of the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery. Our history and our contributions are part of what the story is that we want to tell in that we've been here a while and we're contributing to the vitality of the state. Pilgrim Baptist Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the oldest African American church in the state of Minnesota.A group of escaped slaves began worshiping together in 1863, and under the leadership of fellow escaped slave Robert Thomas Hickman, the church officially became Pilgrim Baptist Church on November 15, 1866.On this day, Robert Hickman led a baptismal service on the Mississippi … Minnesota's African American history begins with pioneers who trapped, traded and developed lasting relationships with the Indian nations. From the 1930s to the 1970s, an African American neighborhood flourished on the city’s Southside, between East Thirty-Fourth and Forty-Sixth Streets and from Nicollet Avenue to Chicago Avenue. David Vassar Taylor, dean of the General College at the University of Minnesota, is a scholar of the African diaspora. 651-259-3015 • 844-667-8679, African Americans in Minnesota: The People of Minnesota Series, Available from your favorite e-book vendor, including Amazon, bn.com, Google, iTunes, and Kobo. While making up a smaller percentage of Minnesota's population compared to national averages, African Americans have had a profound influence on the history and culture of the state from its earliest days to the present. He participated in several desegregation protests that gave this church national recognition. Publisher of outstanding books on the history, art, and culture of the Upper Midwest. The Minnesota National Guard was called in the patrol the street for over a week. Bonga was the first black person to be born in Minnesota. (FOX 9) - An online education resource called the African American Registry is trying to get into more Minnesota classrooms. In African Americans in Minnesota, author David Vassar Taylor chronicles the rich history of Blacks in the state through careful analysis of census and housing records, newspaper records, and first-person accounts. After receiving a nearly $225,000 grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, the University of Minnesota Libraries will soon embark on an ambitious two-year endeavor that aims to digitally archive nearly all of its materials representing African American history and culture. Minneapolis historically has been home to a small but vibrant African American population. MNHS openings and announcements. After Dred Scott lostthe famous supreme court decision in 1857, he continued to live a life as a free man in Minesota, The history of the U.S. state of Minnesota is shaped by its original Native American residents, European exploration and settlement, and the emergence of industries made possible by the state's natural resources. Reverend Shuttlesworth, a well-known civil rights leader was pastor of Bethel Baptist Church from 1953 to 1961. The African American Interpretive Center of Minnesota (AAICM) is dedicated to sharing black Minnesota history through exhibitions and events. Taylor also introduces influential and notable African Americans: George Bonga, the first African American born in the region during the fur trade era; Harriet and Dred Scott, whose two-year residence at Fort Snelling in the 1830s later led to a famous, though unsuccessful, legal challenge to the institution of slavery; John Quincy Adams, publisher publisher of the state's first Black newspaper; Fredrick L. McGhee, the state's first Black lawyer; community leaders, politicians, and civil servants including James Griffin, Sharon Sayles Belton, Alan Page, Jean Harris, and Dr. Richard Green; and nationally influential artists including August Wilson, Lou Bellamy, Prince, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.