The Dawning of the Obama Era Completes the Circle
for Many Along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground
Celebrate Black History Month, President’s Day and Discover African-American Heritage in one of the Nation’s Most Sacred National Heritage Areas

For Immediate Release  
February 10, 2009
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Waterford, Virginia —With the Inauguration of Barack Obama, the course of African-American history has come full circle, and for millions, seeing firsthand the hallowed past that black Americans have travelled over hundreds of years is just a short drive away.

For the cost of a tank of gas, Americans along the Eastern seaboard can explore the region known as Where America Happened and discover what many consider to be sacred ground for African Americans who sacrificed everything and laid the ground work for a more recent historical event – the election of President Barack Obama as leader of the free world.

Celebrate Black History Month and the election of the 44th President with a visit to the
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area. It’s located just an hour outside of Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Richmond; two hours from Pittsburg, and Philadelphia, and three from New York.

The 175-mile Journey corridor runs from Gettysburg, PA southwest to Charlottesville, VA. It offers all Americans a chance to walk in the steps of some our nation’s most important historical leaders – some known worldwide, while others remain unknown even to this day. Yet all were courageous and brave people willing to fight for the future of generations to come.

African American history is more than a story of an ethnic group. It’s a window on America itself. The stories told along this corridor are those of individuals, who singularly, then collectively, shaped our nations’ heritage and ideals. From the enslaved who contributed their knowledge, skills, and creative genius to help shape our land and culture, to the inspiration of W. E. B. Du Bois, who helped form the Niagara Movement, named for the "mighty current" of change it affected. The Niagara Movement is considered to be the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. Its first meeting on American soil was held in Harpers Ferry, WV on the campus of Storer College, overerlooking the site of John Brown’s raid, which remains a part of the legacy of our nation's struggle with slavery.

All along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area there are memorials, exhibits, museums and original sites. Some are destinations all their own, while others make fascinating stops while touring this National Heritage Area. All however are special and to be remembered not just this month, but every day. There are dozens of examples and here are just a few:

• Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County, VA
• Mulberry Row at Monticello in Charlottesville, VA
• The Gilmore Cabin at Montpelier in Montpelier, VA
  
• The Jennie Dean Memorial at Manassas Industrial School in Manassas, VA
• Leesburg African American Heritage Trail in Leesburg, VA
• Harpers Ferry National Park in Harpers Ferry, WV
• Lincoln Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA
• Yellow Hill Community in Gettysburg, PA
  

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground’s Web site, www.HallowedGround.org, offers easy, online (and free) access to maps, guides, and key background information on dozens of African American historical sites. Search by interest: African American sites.