Launched in 2020, A Shared Heritage is a local community history project long in the making that shines a light on the rich heritage of African Americans in Erie County, Pennsylvania. The centerpiece of A Shared Heritage is a walking and driving tour of 29 significant sites of African American history encompassing the entire county. Visitors to the project website (https://www.sharedheritage.org/) will find the beautifully illustrated tour guide, along with other features: a concise narrative history and timeline of African American history in Erie, brief profiles of dozens of African American “pioneers, community builders, and freedom fighters” who have contributed to the greater Erie region, and interviews with five history-making figures of Erie’s recent past: Celestine Davis, Johnny Johnson, Gary Horton, Rubye Jenkins-Husband, and Marcus Atkinson. The project is a partnership of the Mercyhurst University Public History Program, Burleigh Legacy Alliance, and Erie Yesterday with support provided by WQLN, the Jefferson Educational Society, VisitErie, Erie Arts and Culture, and Erie County Public Library.
About the Authors
A Shared Heritage is co-led by Johnny Johnson (Burleigh Legacy Alliance), Dr. Chris Magoc (Mercyhurst University), and Melinda Meyer (Erie Yesterday). Johnny Johnson, M.Ed., is a native of Covington, GA, and has been a resident of Erie for 50 years. Mr. Johnson taught health and physical education at various middle and high schools in Erie’s Public Schools for more than 30 years before retiring. He is one of the founding members of the Harry T. Burleigh Society, the current president of the Burleigh Legacy Alliance has participated in numerous historical programs and is the author of Erie African Americans in the 1880s. Dr. Chris Magoc is a retired professor of History from Mercyhurst University whose most recent book is A Progressive History of American Democracy Since 1945: American Dreams, Hard Realities (Routledge Press, January 2022). He is a 2012 recipient of the Mercyhurst Teaching Excellence Award. Melinda Meyer is an experienced public historian, educator, project consultant, grant writer and nonprofit administrator. As a public historian, she consistently pursues avenues to share local history with all audiences. Ms. Meyer has also taught museum studies and historic preservation undergraduate courses at Mercyhurst University.