From Storefront to Monument: Tracing the Public History of the Black Museum Movement

Table of Contents

vii Contents acknowledgments ix inTRoDucTion Museums on the front lines Confronting the “Conspiracy of Silence” 1 1. When “civil Rights are not enough” Building the Black Museum Movement 15 2. “not in My backyard” The Contested Origins of the African American Museum of Philadelphia 41 3. confronting the “Tyranny of Relevance” Exhibits and the Politics of Representation 72 4. “To satisfy a Deadline but little else” The Public Debut of the African American Museum of Philadelphia 106 5. Rocky Transitions Black Museums Approach a New Era 129 6. a Museum for the future The National Museum of African American History and Culture 156 conclusion The Ties That bind Museums as Community Agents 179 notes 189 index 237 “This page intentionally left blank” ...