North Texas

Denton's African-American History on Display in Interactive Exhibit

An exhibit that highlights history, so it's not forgotten -- and in some cases -- not repeated. The look at Denton's African-American heritage is on display at UNT on the Square.

"I know with communities, especially black communities, there's usually two sides to every story," said Okoye Anderson, one of about eighteen students at the school who helped uncover those stories this past summer.

"Once you get in there and start talking to the people who've been here for years, that's when the real information starts to show up," he said.

University of North Texas media arts students produced the interactive project, called Freedman Town 2.0. The augmented reality documentary looks at black Denton's past.

"This project pays respect to that first settlement that came to Denton," said media arts professor Carla LynDale Carter-Bishop.

The project looks at Denton's Quakertown, a thriving black community forced to move in the early 20th century, and Freedman Town, settled by 27 black families just after the end of the Civil War.

"This story is important to tell because there's a lot of history written about Quakertown," said Carter-Bishop. "There's a lot written about it, but there's not a lot of stories told about the people directly affected."

The Freedman Town 2.0 Exhibit will remain on display through February 3, assuring those local heroes, and their struggles, won't be forgotten.

"At the end of the day this is their story," said Carter-Bishop. "And these are the people we want to celebrate."

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