Samuel W. Black

Samuel W. Black is a curator, archivist, and author. He believes the African American experience has resonance for all races and cultures. He serves as the director of African-American programs at the Senator John Heinz History Center and is passionate about telling the story in as many creative ways as possible. “It's a really rich, tremendous history. One of the things that drives me is I am able to go into that history and share it with the public. My job is to find something different and present it, something that adds to that story.” He has done this through many platforms such as the collections he has built, his preservation work, the books and literature, his award-winning researched exhibits, and his many talks and speeches.

Samuel Black was born and raised in Cincinnati. His father worked 16 hour days in the boiler room of Cincinnati's public schools to support his wife, 11 children, and children of relatives. His father was big on family and when these children needed a home, he took them in. Black says his father was an unforgettable example of a dedicated parent and family man.

Black came to the Heinz History Center in 2002 as its first curator of African American history, and was promoted as its first director of African American programs. He delves into stories that are important to people and has reached a large audience. His “Soul Soldiers: African-Americans and the Vietnam Era” premiered at the history center on Veteran's Day in 2006 before embarking on a four-year, seven-city museum tour. Nearly 350,000 visitors in Pittsburgh and across the nation experienced it. “America's Best Weekly: A Century of the Pittsburgh Courier” ran from February 2011 through June 2012.

“Soul Soldiers” was closest to his heart because his brother, a Vietnam veteran, was the inspiration for that project. It sparked his desire to learn more about the war and the African Americans who served and to share that story with others who might also desire to know and understand more about the war and the experiences of their loved ones. The exhibit touched many people, especially Vietnam veterans and their families, many of whom had never had their service and their experiences validated.

Samuel Black asks people to take a look at everything they know about themselves, their community and their country and see where African Americans fit into that narrative. A good example of this is the new exhibit “From Slavery to Freedom.”

“I don't want the history of slavery in America to be trivialized, and I want people to understand that it is much more complex and meaningful to how we define ourselves as Americans than maybe we think it is. These were real people, not objects. They were not property but human beings that had children, families and emotions.”

Black views the enslavement of Africans in America as the central factor in the country's development, economically, politically and socially. He believes our problems of race, culture and gender issues stem from the enslavement. “From Slavery to Freedom” highlights the history of the anti-slavery movement, the Underground Railroad and the impact of 19th-century activism on the modern quest for civil and human rights in Pittsburgh. The goal is to present American history from the perspective of African Americans.

“After having black history ignored, voided, erased and now having an opportunity to present the truth and fact of that history is most satisfying. Black history should be appreciated as part of American history. There is a wealth of life we are able to learn and appreciate from different cultures.” – Samuel W. Black