The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recently announced a new social media campaign that highlights 400 years of African American history in the state.
PMHC will share stories from its Historical Markers program that relate to African American history on its Instragram, Twitter, and Linkedin profiles. Each week the Commission will pick stories of both well-known and lesser-known people, places and themes to share. Users are encouraged to repost the stories with the hashtag #400yearsPA. The campaign will run until February 2020.
The campaign is a part of the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans arriving in America. PMHC calls the campaign an effort to “recognize the contributions and commemorate the resilience of African Americans.”
Since the historical marker program began in 1945, the Commission has installed over 200 physical markers throughout the state that relate to the African American experience. PMHC describes the markers as “a critical link to the stories of the people in all our communities.” For those who can’t visit the physical markers, all of Pennsylvania’s historical markers are also searchable in an online database which allows users to narrow their search by county and theme. Individuals can also nominate new suggestions for historical markers through the commission’s website.