July 29, 2008—The Board of Directors for America’s Black Holocaust Museum announced today that the museum will temporarily close its doors in order to reconfigure its operations.
Reggie Jackson, Board Chair for America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) said the institution has been impacted by the economy and part of the museum’s reconfiguration will focus on developing a new fundraising plan. Jackson said ABHM does not have an endowment and relies strictly on individual donations and corporate philanthropy.
ABHM is in discussions with its lender and with the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development to retain the museum’s building at its current location.
Jackson said that during its temporary closure, ABHM will restructure its educational development and complete museum’s catalogue of its archives.
“Though we may be temporarily closed to the public, we will continue the museum’s mission through aggressive outreach to the community to raise funds and ensure that this national museum remains open,†said Jackson.
Mission
America's Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) exists to educate the public of the injustices suffered by people of African American heritage and to provide visitors with an opportunity to rethink their assumptions about race and racism.
History
ABHM was founded in 1988 by Dr. James Cameron, who was the only person in a America to survive a lynch mob attack. Before he died in June of 2006, Cameron was recognized by the US Senate and was an honored guest at the 2005 Senate Apology for failure to enact anti-lynching legislation during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era.
ABHM has been recognized as a cultural education center garnering media attention from such publications as Ebony, Jet, Time, and Essence. The museum has also been featured by the Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, CBS News, the British Broadcast Network, ABC Nightline, and the Judge Hatchett Show among others.
Educational Offerings
A diverse offering of educational programming is available to museum visitors. Access to permenant and traveling exhbitions is offered through self-guided and Griot-led group tours. ABHM also offers diversity training, cultural workshops, lectures and film screenings.
Contact
To schedule a tour for your group, host your next event, or request additional information, please contact the museum at (414) 264-2500 or www.blackholocaustmuseum.org . You can also send a note through MySpace!
