The Blacks of the Chesapeake (BOC) Project began in 1984. In 1999 the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation was founded by Vincent O. Leggett. Library of Congress in 2000 designated the Blacks of the Chesapeake as a Local Legacy Project.
African-Americans who have worked and continue to work in the maritime and seafood processing industries in the Chesapeake Bay region are an integral part of this area's rich culture and heritage. In 1994, the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation began to document this aspect of Americana. The foundation serves the community with a broad range of historical, cultural and educational activities.
Blacks of the Chesapeake (BOC) runs programs in the following areas:
Lectures and Presentations: BOC have been working with the Harriet Tubman Organization for more than twenty-five years. The BOC’s "Chesapeake Underground Research Project" highlights Harriet Tubman’s use of the Chesapeake Bay and its many tributaries to aid enslaved people to freedom.
Arts and the Humanities: BOC has served as historical consultants on several multimedia projects. Dr. Joan Gaither, Fiber Artist, Maryland Institute of Art collaborated with the Blacks of the Chesapeake in the fabrication of the Black Watermen of Chesapeake Documentary Story Quilt and Steve Torriano Berry consulted with the BOC in the production of the Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Documentary Film.
Environmental Programs: Environmental Education and Conservation organizations such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, The Living Classrooms Foundation, The Chesapeake Conservancy and the Chesapeake Bay Trust have sought out the expertise of the BOC around issues of diversity and inclusion.
Blacks of the Chesapeake runs projects in the areas of Research, Exhibits, and Special Studies. You can watch some of their work documenting the history and heritage of African Americans on the Chesapeake bay, watch their Five Minute Histories.
To learn more about this organization, please visit their website. Stay up to date with their events and community involvement by following Blacks of the Chesapeake on Facebook!
