A Slice of History: Unity in Action
June 19, 2025, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Wyoming State Museum Classroom
Take a bite of the local civil rights struggles and triumphs surrounding Cheyenne’s Allen Chapel and the generations of Black leaders that grew up in our region.
Join us for the perfect pairing of pizza and history with the Rev. Dr. Hilton McClendon Sr., pastor at Allen Chapel AME Church in Cheyenne, and Jim Byrd, a fifth-generation Wyomingite who represented Cheyenne in the Wyoming Legislature. We’ll kick off the evening with a round of trivia to compete for a $50 gift card! Then sit back and listen to Hilton and Jim while they share their experiences with local and national civil rights activism.
Speaker Bios:
The Rev. Dr. Hilton J McClendon, Sr. is pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church in Cheyenne. He began preaching as a child, 58 years ago. Since that time, he has pastored more than seven churches and has “church planted” three churches. He founded and is president of I Am My Brother’s and Sister's Keeper of Cheyenne homeless ministry.
The Rev. Dr. McClendon is a chaplain with the Cheyenne Police Department for the past six years. He has more than 20 years' experience producing, directing, and hosting television shows across the country. In 2019, he started the Sunday morning TV show "Moments of Inspiration" on Fox 27 in Cheyenne. He is a member of the Cheyenne Kiwanis Club and the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce. The Rev. Dr. McClendon loves to sing, especially gospel songs, and has four recordings, one of which, “Projection of Love,” can be found on Spotify.
Jim Byrd is a fifth-generation Wyomingite who grew up in Cheyenne and served five terms in the Wyoming Legislature. He served as Minority Whip from 2013 to 2015 and was elected to serve as Minority Caucus Leader in 2015. His mother, Harriet “Liz” Byrd, was the first African-American woman in the Wyoming Legislature, and his grandfather, Robert “Buck” Rhone, was in the first graduating class of Cheyenne High School.