UW Public Historian Blasi Highlights Black Miners’ Legacy in BLM Black History Month Event

Brigida “Brie” Blasi, a public history educator at the University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center (AHC), was this year’s featured speaker at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) annual national Black History Month observance Feb. 12.

Hosted virtually by the BLM headquarters office of civil rights, in collaboration with BLM Wyoming, the event, “Underneath It All: Unearthing Black Miners’ Legacy of Labor in the West,” explored the rich but often-overlooked history of Black miners in Wyoming.

Blasi’s presentation, aligning with the 2025 Black History Month theme, “African Americans and Labor,” traced the stories of Black men and women who migrated to Wyoming in the early 20th century to work in the state’s coal mines.

Through meticulous archival research and genealogical exploration, she revealed how these laborers and their families built vibrant Black communities that endured for generations, shaping the cultural landscape of Wyoming in ways that are too often left out of mainstream historical narratives.

The event drew nearly 600 Department of the Interior employees from across the country, with many more accessing the recorded session. The overwhelming interest sparked meaningful discussions on the legacy of Black labor in the American West and reinforced the importance of continuing to research and share these underrepresented histories on public lands.

“The American Heritage Center is proud that the BLM selected UW faculty member Brie Blasi to speak to their employees about the role that Black miners played across the West in bringing coal and minerals to the national markets,” UW AHC Director Paul Flesher says. “Their labor was not without controversy, and Ms. Blasi’s expertise enabled her to illuminate key elements of their history.”

About Brigida (Brie) Blasi

Blasi is a public historian and museum professional with a deep commitment to uncovering marginalized histories. She holds a B.A. in humanities/fine arts from UW; an M.A. in history, with an emphasis in public history, from New Mexico State University; and an M.S. in library science, with a concentration in archival studies, from the University of North Texas. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the new public humanities program in UW’s Department of English.

Blasi has spent her career working in museums, historic sites, archives and historic preservation, specializing in curation, museum and nonprofit management, identity studies, the multicultural history of the U.S. West, and local and family history. A Wyoming native, she returned to UW in 2020 to take on the role of public history educator at UW’s AHC, where she focuses on research, education and community outreach.

For more information about Blasi’s research and the AHC’s educational opportunities, visit www.uwyo.edu/ahc/ or email Blasi at bblasi@uwyo.edu.