To mark Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 15, the Allen County Public Library’s Rolland Center for Lincoln Research unveiled their  Black History Month Exhibit in the  downtown library. 

In telling the story of President Abraham Lincoln, the Rolland Center has acquired more than 30,000 artifacts, many of which highlight the history and advancement of Black Americans in the 19th century. At the center of the current exhibit are fine art lithographs and photographs of Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass dating back to the mid-to-late 1800s. 

Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” and Douglass’ memoirs are considered among the most influential writings leading up the abolition of slavery. 

The Black History Month Exhibit runs through Feb. 29, although it will be closed Friday-Sunday, Jan. 26-28. — Chris Hupe