European University Institute Library

From storefront to monument, tracing the public history of the Black museum movement, Andrea A. Burns

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-235) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

From storefront to monument

bibliography

844729409

Andrea A. Burns

Public history in historical perspective

tracing the public history of the Black museum movement

Today well over two hundred museums focusing on African American history and culture can be found throughout the United States and Canada. Many of these institutions trace their roots to the 1960s and 1970s, when the struggle for racial equality inspired a movement within the black community to make the history and culture of African America more public. This book tells the story of four of these groundbreaking museums: the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago (founded in 1961); the International Afro-American Museum in Detroit (1965); the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum in Washington, D.C. (1967); and the African American Museum of Philadelphia (1976). --, Provided by publisher

Museums on the front lines: Confronting the "Conspiracy of silence" -- When "civil rights are not enough": building the Black museum movement -- "Not in my backyard": The contested origins of the African American Museum of Philadelphia -- Confronting the "Tyranny of relevance": Exhibits and the politics of representation -- "To satisfy a deadline but little else": The public debut of the African American Museum of Philadelphia -- Rocky transitions: Black museums approach a new era -- A museum for the future: The National Museum of African American History and Culture -- Conclusion: The ties that bind: Museums as community agents