A 1791 symbol of democracy, the Old State House is where a free Black man, convicted of helping escaped slaves, was sentenced to southern servitude and his freedom auctioned off to the highest bidder. “This is the kind of history we have to understand … the good and the bad,” said Jane Pilato, historic site interpreter for Delaware State Parks. “This is only a drop in the bucket of people who have lived and worked on the Green.” It’s the job of historians to uncover these stories, and of the public to share them.

Running, rainbows and gymnastics: Tressa, Merida and Lenna Stant show the people and activities most important to them at the Biggs Museum of American Art.

Biggs Museum of American Art invites families to create art together, like from left, clockwise, Kori Carr, Kendra Perry, Maxwell Perry and Erin Carr.

Biggs Museum of American Art.

The 2008 lithograph “Keisha M.” by Elizabeth Catlett, with furniture at the Biggs Museum of American Art. An important African American artist, Catlett’s life (1915-2012) and art “were fueled by that legacy [of her ancestors’ enslavement] and a sense of responsibility to those whose voices were too often silenced,” according to the Biggs. This image was intentionally hung in an 18th-century gallery near other portraits of women in blue—the demand for indigo dye spurred expansion of the slave trade.

Citywide Black History Celebration across Dover, including at the Biggs Museum of American Art.

Ann Baker Horsey, Carolyn Forbes, Mary Terry and Tom Smith drop in at The Friends of Old Dover (Historical Society of Dover). Illustrated displays on two individuals who helped people who escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad: conductor Harriet Tubman and Richard Allen, bishop of the AME Church.

At The Friends of Old Dover (Historical Society of Dover), illustrated displays on two individuals who helped people who escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad: conductor Harriet Tubman and Richard Allen, bishop of the AME Church.

Gavin Malone speaks about Delaware's impact in the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954. Louis Redding was Delaware's only Black lawyer when he helped bring cases that contributed to U.S. desegregation.

Bambi Smith, left, and Jane Pilato are historic site interpreters for Delaware State Parks. First State Heritage Park offers “Hidden Lives: Slavery, Freedom, and the Green” walking tours every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in February 2024. They share the stories of everyday people whose lives and experiences of underrepresented individuals whose stories might otherwise be forgotten.

Rosedale Beach Hotel & Resort Documentary showing at Dover Public Library, part of Citywide Black History Month 2024. DSN Photo.

Rosedale Beach Hotel & Resort Documentary showing at Dover Public Library, part of Citywide Black History Month 2024. DSN Photo.