Michigan Street Baptist Church (Buffalo, New York)

African American Civil Rights Network

The Michigan Street Baptist Church, located in Buffalo, New York, was built by African Americans in 1845, and became the center of community life for Buffalo's growing African American community. Many of the people associated with the church had escaped from slavery and the building served as a meeting place for members of anti-slavery and reform movements. Church members were also active in the Abolition Movement before the U.S. Civil War.

In the early 1900s one of the church’s members played a prominent role in the early and mid-20th century struggle for African American Civil Rights Movement. Mary Burnett Talbert, a church parishioner and prominent civil and women’s rights activist, helped found the Niagara Movement, the precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1905, W.E.B Du Bois and other prominent African American leaders met secretly at Mrs. Talbert's home and adopted the resolutions that led to the establishment of the Movement.

Michigan Street Baptist Church became part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2023.

The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.