CEO of the International African American Museum: We need to seize control of our identity [View all]

A new $75 million dollar museum is being built in Charleston, South Carolina, and it’s working to help African-Americans see their history and the world in an impactful way.

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The man leading the charge is CEO Michael Boulware Moore, a former advertising executive. Moore is the great-great grandson of famous abolitionist and Civil War hero Robert Smalls – who escaped slavery and went back to purchase the plantation he lived on. Smalls eventually became becoming a South Carolina Congressman during the Reconstruction Era.

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TG: Do you feel the museum can have a role in affecting the political dialogue in this country?

MBM: One of the important things we hope to accomplish with IAAM – beyond celebrating our history – is the creation of an Institute for Social Justice that will contribute meaningfully to the political and social dialogue in this country. Because of Charleston’s history, as well as the fact that the museum’s brainchild – former mayor Joe Riley – focused his career on building bridges between communities and focusing on social justice, we think IAAM will be a unique platform to help to move these issues forward.

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TG: With the recent launch of the National Museum for African-American History and Culture, and your museum on the horizon, there is a lot of enthusiasm for learning black history. What could this moment represent for black people and society at-large?

MBM: There is an old African proverb that says “until lions get their own historians, the history of the hunt will always favor the hunter.” African Americans have not always had control over the narrative of our identity, our contributions to this country and place in this world. I believe the launch of Washington D.C.’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and our museum are part of a larger effort to seize greater control over our history and our identity. My hope is that this will spark efforts (big and small) throughout African America toward this end.

Read More: http://thegrio.com/2017/03/16/international-african-american-museum-ceo/

There is an old African proverb that says “until lions get their own historians, the history of the hunt will always favor the hunter.”

African Americans have not always had control over the narrative of our identity, our contributions to this country and place in this world.


Great proverb.