History of the Black Community of Colorado Springs 1870-1950

This class will look at the history of eight decades of the black community of Colorado Springs through stories of individuals, whose contributions continue to the present. George Motley served with General Palmer at the founding of Colorado Springs in 1871. Frank Loper was born a slave on the Jefferson Davis plantation but became a well-known community figure. He married local resident Maude Gray, who was the grandniece of Frederick Douglass, and raised Franklin Macon, former Tuskegee Airman, who resides here today. K.D. Stroud sought a better education for his eleven children who include the first black teacher in Colorado Springs, an Olympic contender, and a mathematician who helped put man on the moon. We will end with the story of the Brown Bombers, an underdog black baseball team, who became city champions and 65 years later were inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame.