Submitted by the McGaw YMCA
As part of Black History Month, the McGaw YMCA is joining the Y’s National African American Resource Network and YMCAs across the nation in the We Wear Black campaign on Friday, Feb. 24.
“This year’s We Wear Black is intended to commemorate the renaissance, resistance, and rejoicing that makes the African American experience unique,” the McGaw Y says on its website. “You’re invited to join us and wear black on February 24 to show your support of advancing racial justice, health, and healing for generations to come.”
As part of its Black History Month commemorations, the McGaw Y also is promoting its YouTube presentation of Unforgettable: Memories of the Emerson Street Branch YMCA.
The 2010 documentary, produced by the McGaw YMCA and filmmaker Susan Hope, looks at the history of the Emerson Street YMCA, a hub of Evanston’s Black community between 1909 and 1969, when Y facilities were desegregated and the branch was closed.
The film is posted online here in three parts.