Historical February 1988 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
“I, Too, Sing America: Black St. Louisans in the 1940s” will open at the History Museum in the Jefferson Memorial Building in Forest Park on February 7 in honor of Black History Month, which is observed in February. Coordinated with the free exhibition will be a series of Sunday after programs of music, film and drama. (See Calendar for details.) The exhibition will recall the lives of black St. Louisans during the World War II and post-war era, when they made gains in integration in employment in the defense industries, in public facilities and in housing.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Shelley vs. Kramer case, which nullified restrictive housing covenants, photographs and newspaper articles will depict this historic court decision. Set in a living room from 1948, magazines, newspapers, photographs and other memorabilia will recreate a home of the period.
A 1940s radio will play recorded accounts taken from interviews with blacks who lived in St. Louis at this time.
Original photograph caption
“Entertainment for Employees during Lunch Hour at Scullin Steel,” black war workers in a 35-piece band, under the direction of William Rollins; St. Louis Star-Times photo by Pierce W. Hangge, June 8, 1943; from the pictorial history collections of the Missouri Historical Society. From the exhibition, “I, Too, Sing America: Black St. Louisans in the 1940s,” at the History Museum in Forest Park, February 7 through March 1988. Reproduced in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February 1988, page 3.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February 1988.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Source spells court case “Shelley vs. Kramer” and describes it as nullifying restrictive covenants. Preserve attributed historical wording; legal spelling and effect require editorial context.
Original source: SD_Times1988_02.pdf, printed page(s) 3; PDF page(s) 3.
