OLEAN, N.Y. — Olean residents stand on the front lawn, celebrating new beginnings.
"The vital future for all of us requires being able to see and understand each other's history and heritage," Julie Schmidt said.
One snip opens the new African American Center for Cultural Development in Olean.
"It’s like a vision coming true. It was a lot of hard work, but I enjoyed it," director Della Moore said.
It’s sharing Black history, which Della Moore said should be talked about in the area.
"African American history is American history," Moore said.
Beerian: "I’ve noticed myself there are not a lot of Black people in this area."
More: "Yeah. Yep. Not a big amount."
Stats from Data USA reflect it, as only 1.28% of Olean's population is Black. How do you change that?
"Talk up your town. It’s not different from any other ethnic group," Moore said.
The house was donated to Mrs. Della. The first floor is open, but as you can see behind me the second floor is coming soon. There are exhibits from current events dating back to slavery.
Moore said about 95% of her display is all from here.
Berrian: "What role does Olean play in African American history?"
Moore: "For one, let’s do the Underground Railroad. Olean was a very good ... played a very big role in the Underground Railroad. Not one enslaved person was caught and turned back."
Moore has been trying to open this center since before the COVID pandemic, and she didn’t give up.