About Us
We celebrate our past while casting a vision for a greater future.
OUR HISTORY
We celebrate our past while casting a vision for a greater future. When the Connecticut Afro-American Historical Society, founded in 1971, closed its doors, a group of individuals with a passion for history met to discuss plans for another organization that would carry on the work. This group met at Donald and Valerie Bertrand's home in 2003 to form the Greater New Haven African American Historical Society which was incorporated in February 2004. Valerie Clinton Bertrand became the founding president. The overall goal was to create a better understanding of the local history and culture of people of African American heritage through preservation and celebration. Over the years, we've hosted workshops, film series, book signings, exhibits, and several nationally recognized speakers at our annual "Lifetime Achievement Awards" programs. All of these activities have been and will continue to be free of charge and open to the public except for our yearly fundraising activity. You are the reason we do this work, and you are what sustains us. Our history is rich, and we continue to find more to share.
OUR GOALS
The Greater New Haven African American Historical Society, Inc.
ORGANIZATION: To honor our history, increase membership, strengthen the base, and remain financially stable.
EDUCATION:
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To engage with the community for learning and growth.
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To make archives available to schools and community groups for research and education.
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To engage local university students in our work through joint programming or internships.
PRESENTATIONS: To offer presentations that educate and engage the community about our rich local African American history. To offer a platform for presenters who have scholarly, artistic, and cultural information, or performances to share with broad audiences. To create venues for sharing the global influences of the African diaspora and for our youth to express their talents and creativity.
EXHIBITS: To offer exhibits of local African American historical, cultural, or an artistic value to traditional and previously under-engaged audiences. To display African American memorabilia, historical documents, and other media. To serve as a learning resource for our youth by exhibiting new and fresh information.
GROWTH: To continue to grow and expand our vision. To become a major resource for the exploration of African American History in the Greater New Haven area.
