First Families topic of museum First Thursday

In the inaugural “First Thursday” of 2016, the Clark County Historical Museum will again host the First Families project to honor Black History Month.

The session will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, at the museum, 1511 Main St., Vancouver.

Launched in February 2008, this local history project gathered the memories of African-Americans who came to Vancouver seeking wartime jobs in the 1940s, settled here with their families, and made this place their home.

In 2012, a sampling of family stories were woven into a book, “First Families of Vancouver’s African American Community: From World War II to the Twenty-First Century.” It was supported by Vancouver’s NAACP branch (chartered by these settlers in 1945), with funding from Humanities Washington, Black United Fund of Oregon, Clark County and other contributors.

Many more memories have yet to be shared. The next phase, First Families Forward, will continue to highlight the story of African-Americans in Vancouver. The Feb. 4 presentation will invite the community into the discussion. A panel will be introduced by keynote speaker the Rev. Marva J. Edwards, president of Vancouver’s NAACP, and moderated by Nathan Webster, founding director of Dream Big Community Center.

Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children younger than 18, and free for museum members. For information, go to www.cchmuseum.org, email info@cchmuseum.org or call 360-993-5679.