“Cole County Colored Troops” Black History Month Series presentation

The Lincoln School Project will host three public programs on Saturdays in February as part of its 2026 Black History Month observance. The series features presentations by historians and cultural scholars exploring African American military service, artistic traditions and early Bland communities in the Midwest.

The series begins Feb. 7 with “Cole County Colored Troop,” present by Michelle Brooks, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Brooks is a historian, journalist and author with more than 20 years of experience researching Missouri history. A former reporter for the Jefferson City News Tribune, she is known for her work documenting the 62nd U.S. Color Troops and other underrepresented stories from the Civic War era.

On Feb. 21, Dr. Paulette Sankofa will present “The Threads That Bind (Quilting)” from 3-5 p.m. Sankofa is a cultural scholar and educator whose professional work centers on African American traditions and community storytelling. Her presentation will examine quilting as both an art form and a historical record that preserves cultural memory across generations.

The series concludes Feb. 28 with “Slavery in Minnesota and Its Ties to Missouri,” presented Dr. Christopher Lehman from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Lehman is a historian, author and professor of history and ethnic studies at St. Cloud Sate University in Minnesota. He presentation will explore the economic and legal links between the two states. According to Lehman, Minnesota welcomed the financial investments of enslavers as both a federal territory and a free state. Many investors came from the slave state of Missouri, bringing enslaved people with them and leaving a lasting political influence on the north.

The presentation will cover historical touchstones such as the Dred Scott freedom lawsuit, which resulted in slavery briefly becoming legal in Minnesota, and the role of St. Louis as a steamboat hub that served as a halfway point between the Deep South and Minnesota.

Message Lincoln School Project for more information or the RSVP.