PRESS CONTACT:
Angelika Albaladejo, Manager of Communications and Public Relations
720-541-2334 | hc_media@state.co.us 

 

Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History is a thought-provoking traveling exhibition that shares stories and artifacts from the lived experiences of Black Coloradans whose contributions have long been ignored.

“We hope to generate new knowledge of Colorado’s Black history and weave in stories that reflect the unique history of Pueblo’s founding and highlight contributions of those who have impacted Pueblo’s community through today,” said El Pueblo History Museum Director Dianne Archuleta.

The exhibition will open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 19, 2026, following a march and program coordinated in partnership between the El Pueblo History Museum and the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Pueblo Branch. The march will begin at the Rawling Library, 100 E. Abriendo Avenue, at 12 p.m. and will conclude at the El Pueblo History Museum, 301 N. Union Avenue, at roughly 1 p.m. 

Upon arrival at the museum, a program themed “The Fierce Urgency of Now” will showcase song and dance performances, as well as speakers to include El Pueblo History Museum Director Dianne Archuleta, NAACP Pueblo President Roxana Mack, History Colorado Black Equity Study Program Manager Chloé Duplessis and Colorado State University Pueblo Former Interim President Rico Munn, J.D.

Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History will open immediately following the program’s end, and entry to the museum will be free until 4 p.m.

Visitors to the exhibition will be welcomed by the silhouettes and stories of prominent Black Coloradans and fascinating artifacts from the places they’ve transformed. A walk through the gallery will introduce visitors to many of the ambitious Black Puebloans who have served the community as doctors, police officers, attorneys, faith leaders, soldiers, educators, philanthropists and more.

Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History got its start at the Museum of Boulder, where the original exhibition won prominent awards, including the AASLH 2024 Leadership in History Award and the Western History Association 2024 Autry Public History Prize. Now, the El Pueblo History Museum is proud to infuse the exhibition with local Pueblo history. 

Through statewide collaborations between multiple museums, libraries, companies and community members, the exhibition’s creators have worked to preserve and weave together these Black histories of the state. 

“I wanted to ensure that smaller communities in Colorado were represented,” said Ray Brown, one of the Colorado Black history enthusiasts who contributed to the exhibition, first in Boulder and now in Pueblo. Brown is a Buffalo Soldier reenactor, the Facilities and Grounds Director for the historic Roselawn Cemetery, and President of the Pueblo Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. Brown helped identify powerful local stories for the exhibition like that of Alva Jones who opened Pueblo’s first funeral home for people of color.

From the founding of Pueblo through today, this exhibition celebrates the many triumphs of Black Coloradans – starting with James Beckwourth, a formerly enslaved man turned frontiersman who helped establish the city’s enduring adobe trading post.

“Southern Colorado is fertile ground for the stories of amazing African Americans who made a difference and wove themselves into the fabric of communities like Pueblo,” said Adrian Miller, a James Beard Award-Winning Author and CEO of the Soul Food Scholar, who has also collaborated on this exhibition from its start in Boulder. “I guarantee that anyone coming to this exhibit will be fascinated by what they experience," Miller said.

Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History will be open to the public at El Pueblo History Museum from January 19 to June 19, 2026 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Juneteenth. El Pueblo History Museum is located at 301 N. Union Avenue and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission for kids 18 and under is free every day.

Interviews will be available with El Pueblo History Museum Director Dianne Archuleta and exhibition contributors Ray Brown and Adrian Miller. Media outlets may also request access to photographs from the exhibition. 

 

About El Pueblo History Museum

History Colorado’s El Pueblo History Museum is located at 301 N. Union Avenue in the heart of the city of Pueblo, part of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk District and the Pueblo Creative Corridor. The museum stands on the site of the original El Pueblo trading post, constructed in 1842. The museum site features beautiful galleries, a gift shop, bookstore, gardens, an active archaeological dig, and a recreation of the 1842 adobe trading post. 

El Pueblo History Museum is open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.ElPuebloHistoryMuseum.org or call 719-583-0453.

About History Colorado

History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 146-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation which provides technical assistance, educational opportunities, and other access to archaeology and historic preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state. Additionally, the offices of the State Archaeologist and the State Historic Preservation Officer are part of History Colorado. 

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and 10 other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information. #HistoryColorado