February is Black History Month, and this month, the Visitor Center is featuring a Civil Rights Exhibit in the gallery section.
The exhibit has a beautiful collection of black and white photographs from Mancos resident Betsy Harrison's collection that highlight the 1950s and '60s, a time when being black in America was a struggle.
The 12 photographs on display will take you through an emotional roller coaster and teach you a thing or two.
"Some of these photographs are very historical and very rare," said Marie Chiarizia, director of the Mancos Valley Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center.
One such photograph is "American Gothic" by Gordon Parks.
"It is quite profound," Chiarizia said.
Another photograph shows Martin Luther King Junior meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson. Another shows Coretta Scott King crying at the funeral of her husband after he was assassinated in 1968.
Chiarizia said she was 8 years old when that happened and living near Washington, D.C.
"You could see the glow of the fires set. Whole sections of D.C. burned," she said. "It was a tumultuous time to grow up."
Gloria Thatch-Woody put together a history table at the back of the exhibit.
She included information on the National Museum on African American History and Culture, to be built in Washington, D.C.
"Anyone who donates will have their name on the list of charter members," Thatch-Woody said.
Thatch-Woody said she enjoyed the exhibit and hopes that people in the area take time to visit it this month.
"It's really fascinating," she said.
Thatch-Woody said that reading the history behind each photograph was enjoyable.
At the back of the exhibit is a photo of Thatch-Woody, who is black, and her husband of 30 years, Roger Woody, who is white.
"We would have gone to jail if we would have got married in the '60s," she said. They have been married since 1982.
How to attend
Where: Mancos Visitor Center, 101 E. Bauer, Mancos
Info: 970-533-7434
Hours: Mondays through Fridays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Length: Show runs through Feb. 27
