By Taylor Jensen/entertainment editor
Photos in the NE library show the history of the former Mosier Valley community.
Photo by Jayci Gillie/The Collegian
An exhibit illustrating the history of a community founded by freed slaves dating back to the late 1860s is on display in the NE Campus library.
The Mosier Valley exhibit includes photos and documents donated to TCC by families who wanted to share their families’ stories.
NE archivist Tom Kellam arranged the exhibit and said it was an effort to show what Mosier Valley used to be.
“It has to do with the community around the college,” he said. “I tried to select a cross-section that would show what these people worked for. I thought it was pertinent to show their history.”
Kellam said Mosier Valley’s land has now been chopped up for industrial use, but St. John Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1874, still remains.
“The church still has a congregation to this day,” he said.
Another exhibit sharing space in the NE library is I, Too, Sing America, a collection celebrating African-Americans in history.
NE librarian Bonnie Hodges said the quilt made by Sybil Reddick, especially captures the spirits of her favorite people including writers Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and Richard Wright.
“This woman was able to capture the brightness of their lives and the significance of her favorite people,” she said.
Both exhibits are on display until Feb. 28. Library hours are 7:45 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:45 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday.
