This week, Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Nedra Rhone and her 12-year-old daughter Layla are on the road, traveling to five Black history museums in five days.
When Rhone was growing up in Chicago, her parents took her on similar summer trips. And, just like them, she has a mission — to educate her daughter about significant moments in American history and culture.
Second stop: Macon
We immediately recognized the Tubman Museum of African American Art, History and Culture in the distance. Its unmistakable yellow color and its copper dome make it stand out on downtown Macon’s Cherry Street, which has been the 38-year-old museum’s home since 2015.
Richard Keil, who was then a Catholic priest, founded the Tubman Museum in 1985 after spending years working in Black communities in the Southeast. He believed Macon, located in the center of the state, was the perfect home for a Black history museum.
Though representations of Harriet Tubman are prominent in the museum, the facility highlights many aspects of the Black experience, including the journey from Africa to America as depicted in a mural by Macon artist Wilfred Stroud.
The museum showcases past Black entrepreneurs and inventions. But it also celebrates the achievements of living Black Americans. A new exhibition is dedicated to the life and work of Tyler Perry and chronicles his transition from a troubled home to the world stage.
Credit: nedra rhone
Credit: nedra rhone
The strong connection to the community is reflected in galleries that feature photos and portraits of prominent Macon residents. But with that connection to the local community comes a concern.
“If you are a nonprofit that specializes in African American history in the South in a high poverty area … you are understaffed and underfunded,” said curator Jeff Bruce.
The bottom line? People who care about preserving history and culture need to support them.
If we don’t stand up for institutions like the Tubman Museum, they will be gone, said Executive Director Harold Young.
Also of Interest:
The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is right across the street from the Tubman Museum. The Otis Redding Museum is also nearby. It is clear, as you walk or drive through downtown Macon, that the area is in the midst of a revitalization. Since 2015, Macon has received more than $136 Million dollars in public and private investment that has led to rehabbed buildings, new businesses and new jobs.
If you go
Credit: ArLuther Lee
Credit: ArLuther Lee
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