Description
The Muskegon County Museum of African American History is being developed by community people for community people. Its primary goal is to provide local historical African American legacy information that will instill pride and motivation for young African Americans. While there will be a state and national presence, the primary focus is Muskegon County. The current major project is to identify and interview people or family members of people who were the "first" African American to own a business, hold political office or other notables and create a wall of Muskegon County "firsts" and other notables. Another major project is to create ongoing funding sources so we can hire staff and provide for the day-to-day operating costs. The museum has a fund development committe to help with this.
History
The museum is a result of a group of people meeting after two community forums did not generate enough community interest, afterwards, to begin exploring methods of organizing for community change. Mrs Margaret Burroughs, one of the founders of the Dusable Museum in Chicago, Illinois traveled to Muskegon bringing an outline for starting a museum; Judy Hayner, executive director of the Muskegon Museum of Art and John McGarry, executive director of the Muskegon County Museum provided invaluable information re: planning, defining the museum, curatorial duties and day-to-day operations of a museum. The museum opened on December 26, 2006. The Board of Trustees also visited the Dusable Museum and local museums to get a feel for what a museum is.
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