History Center Commemorates Black History Month with Exhibit Highlighting the Life of James L. Gibbs

james gibbs

James L. Gibbs in the 1960s, when he was a district representative with Mohawk Airlines (left). James L. Gibbs is pictured with Robert and Carolyn Treman and others on February 17, 1938, at the opening celebration for the new Southside Community Center (right).

(From the archival photo collection of The History Center)

 

In partnership with the Tompkins County Trust Company, The History Center is commemorating Black History Month with an exhibition highlighting the life and work of local civil rights pioneer James L. Gibbs. The exhibit will be on display through the month of February in the atrium of the Tompkins County Trust Co. on the Ithaca Commons.

The first Director of the new Southside Community Center in 1937, Gibbs was a community activist and civil rights pioneer who served Ithaca’s African Americans and the larger community until his death in 1981. Gibbs was a trailblazing advocate of progress for the local African American community at a time when professional, academic, and social options for blacks were severely limited. Along with his wife Hortense, Gibbs was a fervent proponent of greater education, job training, and social networking to expand opportunities. He used his prominence at Southside to launch himself into a lifetime of service to African Americans and the broader Ithaca community.

A more extensive version of this exhibition is on permanent display at the Southside Community Center.

For more information on James L. Gibbs visit The History Center in Tompkins County at 401 East State Street, Suite 100, or call 607-273-8284, ext.4.