Doors Open Pittsburgh Presents: Ride With the King: Black History Tour

This one-day event, which will be held Saturday, January 19, 2019, during the Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.

The tour will be offered in two formats: Bus Tour and Self-Guided Tour.

During “Ride With the King: Black History Tour,” visitors will hear the first-hand stories from the leaders in Pittsburgh’s African American church community, dating back to the 1800’s to present.

While inside these churches, visitors will be immersed in Pittsburgh’s African American history through the confluence of these churches in generations past and present.

Churches will include St. James African Church, in East Liberty; Bethel AME Church, in Uptown; Brown Chapel AME Church, in Central Northside.

The tour will be an immersive experience, and will include storytelling of famous Hymnal musicians, contributions to the fight against slavery, Underground Railroad and the Daniel’s Den story, the growth of the AME church and its impact on the local African American community, and light refreshments of the African American culture will be offered in a couple of the churches.

The bus tour starts at the Heritage Center in the Dollar Bank Fourth Avenue Building, where visitors will see original handwritten ledgers containing records of Dollar Bank’s African American customers from the 1800s. On display will be the 1860 ledger documenting Dollar Bank’s first mortgage to an African American. Be sure to also see the medical bag and license of Dollar Bank depositor John Paul Golden, M.D., the first black graduate of what would become the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.

The bus tour finishes at the August Wilson Center, where visitors will have a chance to explore “Familiar Boundaries. Infinite Possibilities,” featuring the work of 12 regional, national, and international Black contemporary artists. The exhibition features Flying Girls the work of international artist Peju Alatise.

The event takes place on January 19th from 9a-2:30pm. For tickets and additional information, please go to www.DoorsOpenPgh.org