Black History Tour
James Baldwin wrote, "American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything that anyone has ever said about it." Grand Rapids has been shaped by the significant contributions of Black residents, yet many of their stories have been buried and forgotten. On this tour, participants will hear stories about the Underground Railroad, Idlewild, and how Grand Rapids' Black residents participated in historic events that shaped our nation. This tour offers glimpses into the startling beauty, and terrible tragedies, that have been the experience of Black residents of Grand Rapids. Black History Tours are free of charge, but participants are strongly encouraged to give to the Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives: https://www.facebook.com/graamahistory/. UPCOMING DATES: None scheduled, available upon demand
The Stories that Shape Us Tour
Storyteller Chimamanda Adichie points out, "Our histories cling to us. We are shaped by where we come from." The monuments erected to those buried at Oakhill have been the subject of curiosity in Grand Rapids for more than 150 years. The wealth reflected in its headstones and mausoleums only hint at the dramatic stories of those buried beneath the ground and within their walls. Participants in this tour will hear stories about the failures and losses, strength and resilience, of some of Grand Rapids' most powerful and lesser-known residents. This tour is meant to highlight some of the histories that cling to us and continue to shape our lives today. UPCOMING DATES: None scheduled, available upon demand
Tragedy, Terror & True Crime Tour
Historian Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. observes that "cemeteries are archives of human experience." Some of those experiences are devastating. Digging deep in Grand Rapids' history, this tour shares about some of the more horrific experiences of the Grand Rapids' residents buried at Oakhill. From salacious headlines that gripped the city's attention to tragic events that took the lives of the young, participants in this tour will hear stories about fractured relationships and fallen lives, but also about strength, resilience, and hope. As this tour illustrates, death is not the end of the story. UPCOMING DATES: October 21, also available upon demand
James Baldwin wrote, "American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything that anyone has ever said about it." Grand Rapids has been shaped by the significant contributions of Black residents, yet many of their stories have been buried and forgotten. On this tour, participants will hear stories about the Underground Railroad, Idlewild, and how Grand Rapids' Black residents participated in historic events that shaped our nation. This tour offers glimpses into the startling beauty, and terrible tragedies, that have been the experience of Black residents of Grand Rapids. Black History Tours are free of charge, but participants are strongly encouraged to give to the Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives: https://www.facebook.com/graamahistory/. UPCOMING DATES: None scheduled, available upon demand
The Stories that Shape Us Tour
Storyteller Chimamanda Adichie points out, "Our histories cling to us. We are shaped by where we come from." The monuments erected to those buried at Oakhill have been the subject of curiosity in Grand Rapids for more than 150 years. The wealth reflected in its headstones and mausoleums only hint at the dramatic stories of those buried beneath the ground and within their walls. Participants in this tour will hear stories about the failures and losses, strength and resilience, of some of Grand Rapids' most powerful and lesser-known residents. This tour is meant to highlight some of the histories that cling to us and continue to shape our lives today. UPCOMING DATES: None scheduled, available upon demand
Tragedy, Terror & True Crime Tour
Historian Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. observes that "cemeteries are archives of human experience." Some of those experiences are devastating. Digging deep in Grand Rapids' history, this tour shares about some of the more horrific experiences of the Grand Rapids' residents buried at Oakhill. From salacious headlines that gripped the city's attention to tragic events that took the lives of the young, participants in this tour will hear stories about fractured relationships and fallen lives, but also about strength, resilience, and hope. As this tour illustrates, death is not the end of the story. UPCOMING DATES: October 21, also available upon demand