This presentation uses music to explore African American history, from the African beats to the jazz of the Harlem Renaissance to the popular music of the Civil Rights movement. The influences of traditional African music can be seen in the spirituals sung by African Americans while they worked as slaves, elements of spirituals can be […]
Featured image from PBS. Join us at the Cedar Rapids Public library for a screening of "The Talk: Race in America." This two-hour documentary is about the increasingly common conversation taking place in homes and communities across the country between parents of color and their children, especially sons, about how to behave if they are […]
Join us for a free screening of Uncommon Allies which talks about the grassroots efforts to stem the tide of violence in Kansas City. The documentarian and film participants will also do a panel after the screening to share first hand their experiences and take questions. View the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/239574961 The screening will take […]
Join us in the mobilization of parents and community members by participating in this series* of community forums at the African American Museum of Iowa. Together we will identify obstacles and opportunities for parental and community involvement in the education process of our children. Help us create change for our children, tomorrow's leaders. This event […]
In 1839 the first territorial government of Iowa past a series of laws that denied black residents citizenship rights like the right to vote, testify in court, act as jurors, or participate in the state militia. In addition to these restrictions, the legislature passed “An Act to Regulate Blacks and Mulattoes.” The act was intended […]
Join us on February 28 to round off our Black History Month celebrations with discounted access to the Museum! We will be offering $1 admissions and extended hours (10 AM to 7 PM), making this the perfect opportunity for families, students, and young professionals to explore our exhibits. This event will overlap with Cedar Rapids […]
An African American woman’s Sunday hat is her crowning glory—it announces to the world that here is a beautiful, sophisticated, confident person. But Sunday is just one day of the week, and her Sunday hat is just one of the many “hats” she wears. It takes an extraordinary woman to wear all of these hats—professional, […]
Iowa’s athletes have long impacted their teams, communities, and the sports they played, but African Americans did so while facing off against more than just the opposing team. They fought for the right to equal treatment on and off the field. Highlighting people such as Iowan and Olympian Thomas Hill, Drake University athlete Johnny Bright […]
“Searching for Freedom: African American Migration in Iowa, 1830-1900” will explore the history of black movement to and around Iowa during the 1800s, beginning with the arrival of the first African Americans in the 1830s and ending with the creation of one of Iowa’s only black majority communities at the turn of the century. We will […]
Join us in the mobilization of parents and community members by participating in this series* of community forums at the African American Museum of Iowa. Together we will identify obstacles and opportunities for parental and community involvement in the education process of our children. Help us create change for our children, tomorrow's leaders. This event […]
