African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County
October 2023 Dates will be posted soon!
Last Summer Tour is August 13
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and systems guiding self-emancipated African Americans to liberty. Two essential routes to Detroit and ultimate safety in Canada crossed in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. This summer discover the role Washtenaw County played and hear some powerful stories about places you pass by every day.
“Journey to Freedom” led by docent Deborah Meadows, takes you on a three-hour adventure exploring some of the most important African American historical sites in Washtenaw County. Most can be viewed from the bus, mixed with a few select locations to get off the bus and see with minimal walking. Locations will include sites in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and a rest stop at the Student Center at Washtenaw Community College. Golden Limousine has provided safe and professional transportation for over 15 years. Click your date of choice to register.
THIS EVENT HAS REACHED CAPACITY!
View online at https://www.facebook.com/AACHMuseum/
The Great Migration Intergenerational Experience
April 8, 2023, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
African American Cultural and Historical Museum
of Washtenaw County - 1528 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor MI
Discover the local Underground Railroad Connection and “Ancestral Ties” of the Great Migration through poetry, history and the art of Jacob Lawrence. Enjoy a delicious lunch from Cuppy’s Best Soulful Bistro and view the exhibit “Millions Moved”. Presented by: Ann Arbor Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Arts and Letters Committee, Delta Academy and Delta G.E.M.S. (Growing & Empowering Myself Successfully) and the AACHM
RISE: The Art of Jon Onye Lockard Exhibit Reception
March 31, 2023, 7pm-9pm
First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor
1432 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor MI
The community is invited to an exhibit reception for “RISE: The Art of Jon Onye Lockard. A selection of his paintings prints and assemblages that enrich and uplift the human spirit. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm in the Social Hall at First Presbyterian Church, 1432 Washtenaw Ave. It closes on April 30,2023.
Artwork is on loan from the Jon Lockard Foundation, curated by the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County
Saturday February 25, 2023
1-3 PM
Ypsilanti District Library
5577 Whittaker Road
This free event is open to the public
The Intergenerational Dialogue on the Great Migration video series is a set of oral history interviews of local Black residents conducted by local students. These interviews focus on the experiences of interviewees and their families during and after the Great Migration.
This project is a partnership between the Turner African American Services Council, the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County, and the Ann Arbor District Library.
Please join us, along with
Ronnie and Gloria Peterson, for a fun evening of art and jazz featuring the amazing Sean Dobbins and celebrate the Black artists exhibition.
February 17, 6-8 pm,
Riverside Art Center
76 N Huron St, Ypsilanti.
This event is free and open to the public! Save your space - RSVP - aachmwc@gmail.com
The Spoken Arts
Second Baptist Church of Ypsilanti and The African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County invite the community to hear from gifted young artists who use words to express thoughts and understandings from their unique perspective.
Saturday, February 4, 2023 - 6-8 pm The mic opens at 6:00
Where: The Freighthouse, 100 Market Place, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
Donation $5/person at the door or online at aachm.org
Artists and guests can click here to register. For more information call/text Karen at 313-575-3199 or Deborah at 734-819-8182.
The Great Migration: Reflections of the Past in Anticipation of the Future
This program highlights intergenerational dialogues on the Great Migration through the eyes of our young interviewers who gained insight from the adults they spoke with. Learn how the Great Migration changed America's families and cultural landscape.See how this story is shared through the art of African American Artist Jacob Lawrence, who was only 23 years old when he created the Migration Series.
Saturday, February 18, 2023 - 1-2:30 pm
Where: Ann Arbor District Library, Westgate, 2503 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor
This is a free program and open to the public
In honor of MLK Day and Black History Month, Ronnie and Gloria Peterson, along with the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County will host a month-long art exhibit featuring over 20 African American artists' works from Washtenaw county. This premier event invites you to showcase your art at Riverside Art Center in Ypsilanti from January 20 through February 28, 2023.
The Spoken Art @ Kerrytown Concert House
The African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County invites the community to hear from gifted young artists who use words to express thoughts and understandings from their unique perspective.
Sunday, October 30, 2022, 4-6 pm The mic opens at 4:30
Kerrytown Concert House - 415 N. 4th Avenue - Ann Arbor, MI
Tickets $5/person at the door For more information call/text Deborah at 734-819-8182
Artists and Guests are encouraged to register for this afternoon event, click here
The History of Protest
Free & open to the public. All are welcome!
Saturday, November 5, 2022, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Huron Valley PACE - 2940 Ellsworth Rd.,
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
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Keynote Speaker: Dr. Stephen Ward, Associate Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan
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Registration is encouraged here
Questions: 734.998.7409 info.taasc@umich.edu
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Click here to register for this free event. Free parking is available on the side streets. There is one handicap space in the back where the ramp is located.
Part I - INTERGENERATIONAL DIALOGUE ON THE GREAT MIGRATION
Saturday, October 1, 2022, 1-3PM
Bethel AME Church, 900 John A. Woods Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan
EVENT UPDATE: Please note that Professor Angela D. Dillard is unable to attend today due to an illness. Associate Professor Matthew Countryman has graciously agreed to stand in as our keynote speaker. Matthew Countryman is an Associate Professor of Afroamerican & African Studies, American Culture, and History at the University of Michigan, where he also serves as Chair of the Department of Afroamerican & African Studies (DAAS). As a scholar, he specializes in 20th-century African American History with an emphasis on urban northern locations and the civil rights movement.
The community is invited to a historical and intergenerational presentation on the African American Great Migration experience. Keynote speaker: Associate Professor Matthew Countryman. This event is free and open to the public and registration is encouraged A virtual option is available, the zoom link will be sent to those who register here or call 734-998-7409.
Part II is an exhibit at the African American Cultural and Historical Museum at 1528 Pontiac Trail at John A. Woods Drive in Ann Arbor, where 24 panels from Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series, along with the local intergenerational dialogues and Great Migration history. The exhibit opens Sunday, October 9, 12 noon - 4 pm and the public is invited.
Event photo: (L) Scott and Violet Arthur's family arrived at Chicago's Polk Street Depot on August 30, 1920, during the Great Migration, two months after their two sons were lynched in Paris, Texas and (R) Professor Angela D. Dillard, Chair of the History Department at the University of Michigan.
This program is presented in partnership with University of Michigan Turner African American Services Council, Bethel AME Church, Ann Arbor District Library, Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society, New York and the Phillips Collection, Washington DC.
Covid Protocols: If you have any symptoms, please wait until you test negative before coming to the exhibit. Free masks will be available and we ask that people follow the State of Michigan and CDC guidelines.
Community Forum
Thursday, September 1, 2022 5:30-8 pm
The Farmers Market - 315 Detroit Street, Ann Arbor
You are invited to learn more about the six-story mixed-use development with affordable housing at Catherine and Fourth Street, that is being built in a historically Black business and residential district. The property will be developed by Avalon Housing and the Ann Arbor Housing Commission (AAHC).
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Meet the Community Leadership Council (CLC) and learn about their role in this project.
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See the plans and give feedback on the building design.
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We want to hear from the community what your ideas are for the best uses of the first floor.
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Come prepared to engage at this INTERACTIVE event!
Covid Protocols: This is an outdoor event however we ask that if you have any symptoms that you do NOT attend. Free masks will be available and we ask that people follow CDC guidelines.
John Riggs operated his own barber shop on N. Fourth Ave for 20 years Photo is from 1942. (oldnews.aadl.org). Bottom: building site
