Courtesy of the Rio Grande Historical Collection

This photo from Cloudcroft circa 1925 is part of an exhibit at the South Broadway Cultural Center on the history of blacks in New Mexico. "We need to make this visible so young people have a sense of identity and how we came here," said Rita Powdrell, one of the exhibit's organizers.

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The black-and-white images that line the walls of the South Broadway Cultural Center's main corridor might surprise some people.

Instead of pioneering Spaniards or the American Indians here before them, the pictures tell a story not often shared: the history and contributions to New Mexico made by pioneering blacks.

"In the scope of things, African-Americans have been overlooked," said Thomas Lark, curator at the Albuquerque Museum. "Blacks are a part of the history of New Mexico and that needs to be reflected in the exhibits and museums."

Lark, Rita Powdrell of Mr. Powdrell's Barbecue and Augustine Romero, curator for the South Broadway Cultural Center, collaborated to bring "To Be In New Mexico: An African-American Experience" to the center. The exhibit runs through Feb. 28.

The exhibit consists of images dating back to the 1880s, beginning with accounts of the Buffalo Soldiers - freed slaves who helped the government subjugate American Indian tribes in the West. It goes through the present, including sculptures by contemporary Albuquerque artist Fred Wilson.

Today, Albuquerque's black population is an estimated 15,000, or about 3.1 percent of the city's total population, according to the latest U.S. census data.

The census numbers also indicate there are about 17,000 people identifying with two or more races.

When the Buffalo Soldiers moved west, they brought their wives and children with them, creating black enclaves.

As states like Texas and Oklahoma grew more hostile toward blacks, it is believed some moved farther west into the New Mexico territory, which exhibited more tolerance, Lark said.

The territory already had experienced diversity with Hispanics, Native Americans and whites, he said.

"The records suggest in its very own way, New Mexico - as a territory and a state - has had this multicultural diversity," Lark said. "So they have been dealing with it for a longer period of time."

The exhibit shows that in the once-segregated parts of New Mexico - mostly in the southeast part of the state that borders Texas - once the railroad was built, there were opportunities for blacks, especially black women, to own boarding houses, restaurants and other businesses.

This information is not part of the curriculum in Albuquerque Public Schools, so it is vital to find other outlets to share it with the public, Powdrell said.

"We have all this vital history in boxes, at people's homes and at the university," she said. "We need to make this visible so young people have a sense of identity and how we came here.

"Not just dust it off for Black History Month."

To that end, Powdrell, Lark and a band of others have been working to drum up support for a potential African-American Museum and Cultural Center of New Mexico in Albuquerque. The Legislature has given at least $1 million to the city for a facility, but plans have stalled, Powdrell said.

The group is also working with other area museums like the National Hispanic Cultural Center on projects to include the black contribution, where applicable.

"There is a story here that is worth telling," Lark said. "And I think it's time."