So there are more improvements on
the way for the Michigan Street
African American Heritage Corridor.
We learned today that it is one of just
34 recipients across the country to
be awarded a $100,000 grant from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services.
This comes nearly a month after
the corridor opened up its new
headquarters and visitor center.
And joining us now is Terry Alford.
He is Executive Director of the Michigan
Street African American Heritage Corridor.
We appreciate you coming in.
I know this is exciting news for you.
I wonder if you can just start by telling
us what are you going to do with this money.
So what we're looking to do with this
award is to really focus on the stories
that really represent embellish the
185 years of the African American.
You know cultural certificates
impact me to the city of Buffalo and
even beyond the city of Buffalo.
So we were looking to do with these
stories is enhance A visitor experience.
As you know we're looking to really
promote this area of our corridor
as a heritage destination to the
country and really to the world.
So this will actually help
really serve that purpose.
We we view this as a real game changer for
us only because you know the, the, the.
Organization,
the Institute for Museum and
Library Services only award 34
of these across the country.
So it really shows that we're
making really great progress.
We are relevant not just to
the city and to the region,
but to the entire country.
Now people are looking at us and
looking at the city of Buffalo
and seeing that this is really
progressive city is really focusing
on those stories and and celebrating.
You know,
our history and and our architecture
and our preservation and all
those things that makes us great.
Yeah. You point out fewer than
three dozen of these awards.
There are a lot of museums
around the country.
It's quite an honor to to
get something like this.
And it seems like $100,000
can can go pretty far.
Yeah, with this and go go very far.
You know we've been lucky over
the last year or so to really.
Get funding to help support all
of our programming related to the
capital improvements that we're
doing in the quarter itself.
So yeah, as I said,
it's a real game changer because
it's sort of just lends to the idea
that we are being very successful in
getting a word out about who we are,
what we are and what we want to be.
It seems significant that this
announcement is coming on Juneteenth.
So many of us celebrated this past
weekend with the big festival.
Of course, the parade on Saturday.
How does that timing sit with sit with you?
Oh, it's perfect timing when when you
look at the history of Juneteenth,
you know no slaves in Galveston,
TX didn't know they were free two years
after the ************ proclamation
was announced by President Lincoln.
Two full years they still toiled
needlessly and when they discovered
they were indeed free, they celebrated.
So that really ties in with the
quarter in terms of the 185 years
of the African American, you know,
experience in this city in terms of the
those freedoms that we represent such
freedoms as the abolitionist movement, the.
You know, the Niagara movement,
the women suffragette movement,
civil rights movement and even the
jazz period, the early jazz period,
this which represents the freedom of
free expression in terms of music.
That all happened in this,
in this corridor of the corner
of the corridor,
Yeah, all of those things coming
together in this one place.
So we followed, you know, closely.
All of the announcements
that your group has had,
you have this master plan.
I know there is a lot ahead beyond
this $100,000 and what you're
going to be able to do with that,
what else is next?
What should we be looking forward to?
So what what your viewers could be looking
for are exciting things with our programming.
We're all of our anchors found the anchors
at different periods of their construction
projects which hopefully will be finalized
all of them by this time next year.
We're will be focusing on
promoting more programming.
In terms of addressing food and security,
health and Wellness, history and education,
we're doing all that this year,
right into next year.
So we asked our your viewers to
really just keep following us,
you know, follow us on social media,
go to our web page,
Michigan Street buffalo.org.
We're literally doing something every week,
you know, right through the fall,
right into next year.
We're quite excited,
I have to tell you and I hopefully.
You know, I, it oozes out of me.
Yeah, that that great excitement.
Absolutely. Well, congratulations
on getting this big award.
And we, we can't wait to
see what comes out of it.
Terry Alford is executive director
of the Michigan Street African
American Heritage Corridor.
Thanks for coming in.
And once again, congratulations.
Appreciate it.