Early African American Schenectadians

In honor of Black History Month, Historian and author Marsha Mortimore will be giving a talk on the history and accomplishments of black Schenectadians. The program begins at 11 a.m. at the society headquarters at 32 Washington Avenue. The cost is $5 for non-members.

Mortimore will talk about the history of the Duryee church in Schenectady, now more than 180 years old, and will also discuss the 1844 Colored Convention held in Albany. You can also expect to hear about individuals like Richard P.G. Wright, a black barber in Schenectady well before the Civil War, and his son Theodore Sedgewick Wright, the first black person to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. He graduated in 1829.