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Exhibit highlighting African American history in Jackson to open
A project that combined the efforts of many in the Jackson community will come to fruition when Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History opens the much-anticipated exhibit this Saturday, Sept. 19, “A History of African Americans in Jackson, Michigan.” The exhibit will run through Jan. 2, 2010.
Explore the history of African Americans in Jackson in this exhibit organized as a sort of timeline of African Americans in Jackson, focusing on the many firsts. It will feature artifacts, historic documents, old photographs, public records, newspaper files and much more collected over the past year by organizers.
The idea for the exhibit was initiated by Katie Hill, exhibit coordinator for Ella Sharp Museum. Following JCC’s communitywide meeting, the African American Male Summit, brought together community members to discuss the plight of African American males and searching for recommendations for improvement, Hill noticed a lack of diversity in the museum’s history gallery. She worked with JCC’s Lee Hampton, director of multicultural relations, to begin planning for an African American history exhibit highlighting the stories of those who call Jackson home. A committee of about 30 people was established to plan and research the exhibit, and George Brown was brought on as event coordinator.
“I really want to encourage people to come out and see the exhibit and become more involved with the museum,” Brown said. “It’s another way for African Americans to show that we belong here, we contribute here and we have things to offer.”
This project will include three phases, the museum exhibit, a traveling exhibit that will go to different locales such as schools, and finally, a history book.
Ella Sharp Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children 5-12, and free for children under 5.
