A photo of members of the Colored Musicians Club participating in a parade in Buffalo, New York. The photo is part of a video exhibit at the Colored Musicians Club Museum in Buffalo. (Aug. 4, 2018)

Inside the Colored Musicians Club Museum in Buffalo, New York. (Aug. 4, 2018)

A display case inside the Colored Musicians Club Museum in Buffalo, New York, tickets to Local 533 events, member books, membership ledger, union application, contracts and a receipt dues book among other items. (Aug. 4, 2018)

Inside the Colored Musicians Club Museum in Buffalo, New York. From its beginning, it hosted jam sessions with some of the foremost jazz artists in the country including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jimmy Lunceford and Ella Fitzgerald. (Aug. 4, 2018)

A photo of members of the Colored Musicians Club in Buffalo, New York. The photo is part of a video exhibit at the Colored Musicians Club Museum in Buffalo. (Aug. 4, 2018)

This colorful mural at the Colored Musicians Club Museum in Buffalo, New York, is at the entrance of the museum’s exhibits and is by William Cooper. (Aug. 4, 2018)

The Michigan Street Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York, is considered one of the oldest properties in Buffalo and has provided a stable continuous force for more than 170 for African Americans throughout the community. Reverend J. Edward Nash (1868–1957) served the congregation from 1892 to 1953 and his home, the Nash House Museum is located nearby along a walkway and small park-like area. The brick building was erected in 1845 and became a legendary Underground Railroad station, providing sanctuary for hundreds of freedom seekers before they crossed the border to freedom in Canada. It was a central meeting place for abolitionists and anti-lynching activists. Over the years, Frederick Douglass, William Wells Brown, W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington each graced its sanctuary. The church is part of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor which serves as a focal point to learn about Buffalo’s rich African American history. (Aug. 4, 2018)

The Colored Musicians Club Museum in Buffalo, New York, began as a social club for members of the Local 533 union. Originally, there was only one Buffalo musicians union, Local 43, and this whites only union refused to include African American musicians. As a result, a separate union, Local 533 was organized in 1918. Before the Colored Musicians Club found this, its permanent home at 145 Broadway in 1934, it was housed in various other locations. The Colored Musicians Club received its charter and became incorporated on May 14, 1935. The club, which bought this building in 1944, rented space to Local 533. The club gave its members a sense of community while also providing space for practice, rehearsals, and performances; while downstairs, rented space for the union to hold its meetings. (Aug. 4, 2018)

A close-up of the Nash House Museum, part of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor within a walkway path of the Michigan Street Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York. (Aug. 4, 2018)

The Nash House Museum, part of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor within a walkway path of the Michigan Street Baptist Church in Buffalo, New York, was home to Reverend J. Edward Nash (1868-1957) and his wife Frances Jackson Nash (1895-1987) purchased this Queen Anne home, built circa 1900, in what was a culturally diverse neighborhood. Reverend Nash was the pastor of the Michigan Street Baptist Church from 1892 to 1953. (Aug. 4, 2018)

The Colored Musicians Club Museum is part of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor in Buffalo, New York, is considered the only remaining African American club of its kind in the United States. In 1999, it was designated a historical preservation site. The Corridor serves as a focal point to learn about Buffalo’s rich African American history. (Aug. 4, 2018)

A mural at the corner of Coe Place and Main Street close to downtown Buffalo, New York. (Aug. 4, 2018)

A mural at the corner of Coe Place and Main Street close to downtown Buffalo, New York. (Aug. 4, 2018)

A close-up of the beautiful rainbow of the mural at the corner of Coe Place and Main Street close to downtown Buffalo, New York. Aug. 4, 2018

The Dun Building, at Pearl and Swan streets, in Buffalo, New York, now also called the flatiron building. (Aug. 4, 2018)