"It is very exciting when any group of people rediscover a piece of their history," Gates said. "The creation of historic trails is beneficial to common knowledge."

Although the tour will not open until June, an African American Heritage Trail Calendar has already been published. It features a map of many sites to be included in the tour, along with artwork from Cambridge Ridge and Latin High School students.

The calendar, designed to raise money for the trail, costs $5 and is available at the Cambridge Discovery booth in Harvard Square.

Funding for the African American Heritage project has come from many different sources, including the Lotus Philanthropy Foundation Polaroid Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council and grants received by Cambridge Discovery.

However, organizers said money is still scarce. The original project was to cost $100,000 for course books, trail brochures, site materials and maps.

"We are still shy about $30,000 to 40,000," Reeves said.

To help meet that cost, Reeves will host a benefit buffet at the House of Blues on Sunday featuring gospel music and New Orleans jambalaya.

"The benefit is going to be an extraordinary affair for those interested in African American history in general and in particular Cambridge African American history," said Reeves.

For more information on the benefit, call Cambridge Discovery at 497 - 1631.

The story is being told for the first time. It is really going to fill in a piece of history that people had no concept of.

Charlotte Moore, project co-manager

It is very exciting when any group of people rediscover a piece of their history.

Henry Louis Gates, DuBois Professor of the Humanities

The Cambridge trails will give people more of a complete view of what has made Cambridge and Boston the cities they are today.

Kenneth E. Reeves '72, mayor of Cambridge

Everybody involved has been touched by an urgency to show the community that it has hidden treasure.

Jeffery L. Brown, project historian