SCRANTON, Pa. — History is on display inside the Black Scranton Project, as Glynis Johns preserves the stories of the black voices who have come before her.
"Picking up the baton and sharing our history is really important," says Glynis Johns. "Their stories and the drive of people in the past have influenced me to do a lot of things."
Her nonprofit is sharing these stories with even the youngest listeners. Stories that would otherwise go untold.
"Not that many people know our legacy, how much we've contributed to Scranton. How much helped this to make it such the beautiful city that we know it to be? I want people to know more of that," said Johns.
That legacy was front and center as culture and freedom were celebrated at the project's Juneteenth Jubilee this weekend. It was a place for the community to come together.
"Trauma is baked into the black experience, unfortunately. I think Juneteenth gives us a time to not focus on that trauma, but focus on the joy and triumph and history and legacy that we're building," explained Johns.
Juneteenth commemorates the ending of slavery here in the United States,
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1st, 1863. But, the word didn't officially reach Texas for another two and a half years, on June 19th, 1865.
"Once we became free people, we had to decide what it meant for us. How do we then build as a community? We should take that persistence and push forward and push boundaries," said Johns.
Glynis is an example of that persistence. In just 5 years, she has transformed an old bank building into a time capsule. Her archival collection lines the walls of the building.
"Because we've always been in survival mode in a lot of spaces, saving history is not the first thing that has come to mind," said Johns.
By sharing the past, she's reshaping the city's future.
"People are a little more comfortable with asking questions that they might've been afraid to ask. There's nothing wrong with being wrong. I think the problem is a lot of people choose to stay in ignorant spaces. But there's nothing wrong about being uncomfortable and asking those questions," she explained.
Keeping stories alive through the next generation of diverse voices in Scranton.
"A lot of students don't get to see things that look like them. Don't really see a city that represents them. So, I'm hoping they'll be able to see Scranton in a different light," said Johns.