SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 As the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, we\u2019re highlighting the people, places, and history that make Northeastern Pennsylvania part of Amazing America. Tonight, we highlight how one Scranton nonprofit is working to preserve and celebrate a piece of local history that often goes untold.<\/p>\n
In a century-old building on North Main Avenue in Scranton, a new chapter of history is being written by rediscovering the past. They’re celebrating more than one milestone – the historic bank’s centennial, 100 years of Black History Month, and a nation preparing to make 250 years of independence.<\/p>\n
The Black Scranton Project began as a graduate thesis by founder Glynis M. Johns, who wanted to challenge a stereotype she had heard her entire life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to investigate the stereotype that there are no Black people in Scranton because I\u2019m born and raised here. I wanted to see if that was true, and I had to look into the history books to find out how long our community was here,” said Johns.<\/p>\n
What she discovered was a deep history, stories of Black residents who helped shape Scranton dating back to the 1800s.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing that, I found so many incredible folks, so many people who were contributing to Scranton. And we were here all the way back to the 1800s,” said Johns.<\/p>\n
Her research uncovered connections to major moments in American history, from residents who used the Underground Railroad to others who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose stories really encourage people. I feel like it gives you a sense of self and identity, and it\u2019s wild that Scranton in particular is so connected to that story, connected to the Underground Railroad and the Black freedom struggle in American history overall,” said Johns.<\/p>\n
She also discovered local figures whose stories rarely appear in classrooms, like Lincoln Tillman, the first Black firefighter in Scranton, and Louise Tanner Brown, a businesswoman who took over her husband\u2019s transportation company in the 1920s and doubled the size of the firm within a few years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never look at it from a local lens. Who were the people that inspired us in Scranton who identify as Black, who never get spotlighted? Let\u2019s see who we can figure out. Those are things that I feel like we should share in school alongside Martin Luther King\u2019s legacy, alongside what Rosa Parks did,” said Johns.<\/p>\n
Johns says while many people in the region know Scranton\u2019s mining roots or celebrate its Irish and Italian heritage, Black history hasn\u2019t always had the same visibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ourselves don\u2019t always have a connection to the city because the city isn\u2019t always making space for Black culture in the ways that they do other cultures and cultural celebrations,” said Johns.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s part of the reason the organization hosts community events like Juneteenth block parties, Black History Month celebrations, and workshops aimed at uplifting artists, business owners, and local history.<\/p>\n
Now the group is transforming a former PNC Bank building into the Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture, a permanent space dedicated to preserving African American history in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have spaces that are dedicated to Black art. We don\u2019t have anything that\u2019s dedicated to African American history. So, what\u2019s stopping us from doing that here?” said Johns. <\/p>\n
Inside, exhibits explore Black history through artifacts and collections, including a display using historic postage stamps to highlight Black heritage and another examining how Black Americans reflected on the nation\u2019s bicentennial nearly fifty years ago.<\/p>\n
For Johns, preserving those stories isn\u2019t just about the past, it\u2019s about making sure future generations see themselves in the history of their own city.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though I\u2019m from this city being successful, a lot of people told me that I wouldn\u2019t be successful or go to college because I\u2019m a Black woman from Scranton. That\u2019s so not true. There are so many people who look like me who feel that way, and they shouldn\u2019t. I would like to be an example that you can do it too,” said Johns. <\/p>\n
And as America approaches its 250th anniversary, she says understanding those local stories is part of understanding the nation itself.<\/p>\n
The organization hopes the new cultural center creates a space for education, art, and community programs, ensuring Black history in Scranton becomes a lasting part of the city\u2019s story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) \u2014 As the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, we\u2019re highlighting the people,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130790,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":["post-130789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}