The museum aims to “preserve African American and Black life, culture, and history in southern Arizona to benefit the community,” its website states.
Arizona’s first African American history museum opened last month as a solution to an issue discovered by a 7-year-old Tucson student while working on a school project — there was no museum in Arizona to learn about the accomplishments of Black Arizonans.
Elliott, a retired educator, noted that she has no background in museum design, curation or even running an organization, but decided to give it a try. She felt it was something she should do, even if it was going to be a challenge.Fast forward to Jan. 21, Elliott’s grandson cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony and crowded into the large room that makes up the museum. The opening was a roaring success.
Walking around the room, she pointed out a replica of a slave code quilt which acted as a “GPS for enslaved people who were runaways,” she said. The museum also has monitors showcasing stories of other well-known African Americans connected to Tucson like Ernie McCray, the first African American basketball player to graduate from the University of Arizona, among others.
So many items were donated, more than can fit in the one-room museum, that Elliott hopes to feature new exhibits every six months.Even before the physical museum opened, she started receiving calls from schools all over the state that wanted to schedule visits.
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