NJOKI MCELROY, PH.D., NOTED SHERMAN BLACK HISTORIAN, PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR TO SPEAK ON FEBRUARY 20

The Sherman Museum will present Dr. Njoki McElroy, whose book,


1012 Natchez

1012 Natchez: A Memoir of Grace, Hardship and Love depicts her life in Sherman beginning in the 1930’s, on Thursday, February 20, at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free and the public is invited. She will talk about the importance of family and tell stories from her early life in Sherman and from additional experiences in New Orleans and Chicago in the Jim Crow era. Dr. McElroy graduated from Lincoln High School in South Dallas, was a professor at Northwestern University in Chicago for 33 years, and is now a professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

“I feel it is very important for African Americans to retell their stories, particularly before the stories from those who are older are lost,” Dr. McElroy stated. Her grandparents, who lived at 1012 Natchez, and their neighbors often gathered to tell and retell stories, which instilled in McElroy both cultural and personal values, as well as an appreciation for history.

Dr. McElroy’s presentation is in conjunction and in celebration of Black History Month. The annual meeting for museum members is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on February 20, immediately preceding Dr. McElroy’s talk. All members are encouraged to stay to hear Dr. McElroy speak. The museum will be unveiling the revamped Grayson County Courthouse Exhibit, which includes the history of the 1930 riot in Sherman, on that evening as well. Anyone interested in hearing readings and stories from Dr. McElroy is invited to The Sherman Museum, 301 S. Walnut, on February 20, to hear her presentation and meet her. She will be signing copies of her book, 1012 Natchez, which are available to purchase in the museum store. For details, contact the museum at 903-893-7623.

About The Sherman Museum
The Sherman Museum is a non-profit 501(c) (3) educational organization devoted to collecting, preserving and interpreting objects of historical significance to Grayson County and the Greater North Texas Region. The museum was previously known as The Red River Historical Museum prior to a name change in March 2011.

For more information about The Sherman Museum, visit us on the web at www.theshermanmuseum.org.

For more events in the Texoma area, visit www.texomaconnect.com.