Black history project seeks old photos

Two upcoming events will let the public join in a project to document Black history in the Inland Empire.

The Bridges That Carried Us Over Project, whose digital archives is part of Cal State San Bernardino’s John M. Pfau Library Special Collection and University Archives, will be at events in Perris and San Bernardino, a university news release states.

Residents are invited to bring old photos, which will be scanned and returned. Organizers are especially interested in materials that show civil rights organizations and protests, Black churches, businesses, social organizations and historic neighborhoods, according to a flyer.

The first event is set for Saturday in Perris at a 100th birthday celebration for Willie Moses. The party, set for 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., is at the Riverside County Moses Schaffer Community Center, 21565 Steele Peak Drive.

The second event will occur Feb. 27 at the New Hope Baptist Mission Auxiliary Celebration of Black History. The time will be announced later. The address is 1575 W. 15th St., San Bernardino.

The project was started in 2007 by Wilmer Amina Carter and Ratibu Jacocks and is led by the Wilmer Amina Carter Foundation, the release states. It aims to chronicle the stories, experiences, and history of the Black community in the Inland region.

The project uses photos and oral history interviews and attempts to identify and preserve historical collections in the community to create digital archive of primary source materials, according to the release.

For more information, contact Marc Robinson, Cal State San Bernardino assistant professor of history, at 909-5375528 or marc.robinson@csusb. edu.

For more information on the project and upcoming events, go to bit.ly/bridges-project.