Volume 5 of “Archives of the People” continues telling the story of Zanesville’s Black community

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The fifth and possibly final edition of “Archives of the People” is out and is being celebrated this Saturday.

If you visit the Zanesville Civic League from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., you can help yourself to some free food and an edition of the publication dedicated to telling the stories of Black community members along with their accomplishments.

“It’s really important because there’s no documented history of the African-American community and the contributions that they’ve made. Which are very significant, not only here, but as they traveled abroad. And it’s a great reflection of the type of community that we have here in Muskingum County,” Ernest Bynum said.

The five volume publication tells the story of over 200 individuals and the latest edition highlights Black churches and their impact through history. “Archives of the People” is published by a group called the Minority Business Resource Network founded by Bynum and his father in 1998.

“… we started out so that information could be dispersed to communities that have been disadvantaged or hadn’t received the information in the past. Instead of having to go to 10 different locations to see how to get capital, or developed a business, or scholarships, or anything else, it can be one centralized location where we can get all that information at one stop,” said Bynum who serves as the organizations president.

More information about the Minority Business Resource Network, their publication “Archives of the People,” or their event this Saturday can be found on their Facebook page.