Officials with the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) will host an exhibit about the African American experience in the Ozarks during Black History Month in February.

Entitled “African American Heritage in the Ozarks,” the traveling exhibit curated by the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) will be on display Feb. 1 through March 31 at the center inside the Garnett Library, 304 West Trish Knight St., on the MSU-WP campus.

The exhibit will highlight the voices, memories and history of African American people who call, or have called, the Ozarks home, according to organizers.

In 2021, the SHSMO received an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities and Missouri Humanities for an interactive exhibit which was on display at the SHSMO Art Gallery last year. SHSMO officials also created a smaller traveling exhibit for use by other Missouri communities, organizers said.

For more information about the presentation, contact Rebekah McKinney at 417-255-7949 or RebekahMcKinney@MissouriState.edu.