The African American Historical and Cultural Museum is now open in Waterloo, a big milestone for the organization.
The opening marks the first time in the museum’s 29-year history that it will be open to the public without appointments.
The regular hours are thanks to a nationwide fundraising effort, and about 98 percent of the funding came from outside the city of Waterloo.
Museum chair Ryan Madison says it shows that people everywhere believe in preserving history.
“The biggest thing is, people see the importance of heritage, not just African American heritage, but all different heritage,” Madison says, “and they felt it was important to invest in a community that’s much deserving of it.”
Jack Bauman is a volunteer researcher with the museum, who says the regular hours will go a long way toward educating the community about its history.
“Except for here, it’s not really being told,” Bauman says. “It’s very overshadowed by the Eurocentric history that gets taught a lot. A lot of it is kind of buried I’d say, and I believe this museum specifically just really uplifts telling those stories and bringing that history together.”
The museum is displaying a stamp collection of black leaders, African artifacts, and pieces from the Great Migration. It has expansion plans which include moving a historic schoolhouse onto the property.
(By Grant Winterer, Iowa Public Radio)