Boston is fortunate to have both a Black history museum, the Museum of African American History on Beacon Hill, and a Black art museum, the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists in Boston. Few, if any other cities have both kinds of cultural assets. Both need to be preserved.
The Museum of African American History has come into the retrograde crosshairs of the Trump administration, which is aiming to wipe out all Black history that makes some white Americans uncomfortable because of their forebears’ practices of enslaving, dehumanizing, and discriminating. The administration has revoked a three-year grant of $500,000 to support future exhibits and programming at the museum, which includes a historic meetinghouse where abolitionists met to plot the end of the slavery.
The museum has put out a “Call to Action” on its website (maah.org), seeking donations: “With the elimination of crucial funding, MAAH faces unprecedented financial challenges. Without immediate support, the ability to preserve, educate, and inspire may be compromised.”
The Banner endorses this call to action. Joining demonstrations like the rally on Saturday, April 26, to commemorate the one Martin Luther King Jr. led in Boston in 1965 and participating in other protests against the Trump administration is an important way to express a more just and equitable vision of this country. But it’s also good to put our money behind what comes out of our mouths.
The Museum of African American History offers annual memberships to fit just about every household’s budget, from $35 to $1,000. Of course, the museum is accepting larger donations from people who have the financial capacity.
Boston’s Black community and its allies might not be able to make up for the entire half a million dollars but certainly can soften the financial blow.
Ronald Mitchell
Editor and Publisher, Bay State Banner
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