May 11, 2026, 5:15 a.m. ET
PA Humanities will launch “Voices of History Erie” on May 14.
The oral history film project celebrates the family histories, culture, struggles and triumphs of Erie’s Black population through the 20th and 21st centuries. Created in partnership with Erie’s Black Wall Street, the local project is part of a PA Humanities film series amplifying the experiences of Blacks statewide.
The project was inspired by storytelling traditions and the legacy of playwright August Wilson and brings to light the voices of everyday people whose lives and contributions shaped our shared history.
The Erie project
“Voices of History Erie” began with community story circles in which residents shared memories of family, work, migration and neighborhood life. The stories of select participants were professionally recorded for preservation in a permanent digital archive.
The histories are crucial to understanding and preserving the legacy of Erie’s Black residents, said Kyra Taylor, co-founder and executive director of Erie’s Black Wall Street.
“In a society where Black history is too often erased, we have to intentionally preserve what our elders built and what our neighborhoods carried. Whether it is the legacy of the Pope Hotel or the history of the John W. Taylor Funeral Home, these institutions served our families for generations. When we fail to pass down these stories, our community doesn’t just lose details, we lose our identity.”
“Voices of History Erie” was funded by Erie Insurance, Thomas B. Hagen, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s PA Arts and Culture Recovery Program, and a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education Job Training and Education Programs.
How to watch
Eight Erie oral histories, presented as short films, will be shown for the first time at the Erie Art Museum, 20 E. Fifth St., on May 14.
The event will begin with a 6 p.m. reception.
The screenings and a conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Edda Fields-Black, author of “COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid and Black Freedom During the Civil War,” will follow at 7 p.m.
The event is open to the public. Admission is free, but preregistration is required at eriesblackwallstreet.org.
After the preview screening, “Voices of History Erie” videos will appear on the PA Humanities website and YouTube channel.
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@gannett.com.
