Preserving Black Cultural Institutions
By Artist, Debra Hand
Presented by Omni-U Virtual University
Black pride and culture are being celebrated across the globe on levels never before seen. A growing number of museums are scurrying to resurrect and re-examine Black history and our art is being thrust to the forefront for a more nuanced interpretation of its meaning and context. Good for us, but... The South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) and The DuSable Museum of African-American History have been doing this work all along.
From the very beginning, The Southside Community Art Center (SSCAC) and The DuSable Museum of African-American History (currently known as The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center) have been right there fighting for an acknowledgment of our relevance. They were there, continuously, to correct the untruths about our history and to confirm and assert our beauty--despite a world that would ridicule us. They were there to tell our stories and to keep our self-esteem afloat in a society that sought daily to tell us we were nothing. They were there to honor our humanity and art when other institutions considered our point- of- view to be mediocre, unworthy, and valueless.
Without a doubt, The SSCAC and The DuSable Museum of African-American History-- both principally founded by our great Ancestor, Dr. Margaret Taylor Goes Burroughs -- have been there for Black people. The question is: will WE be there for them?
If you knew that a membership commitment would assure the continued existence of these vital institutions which were founded specifically to tell your stories and to build dignity in you and your children -long before your culture was thought of as worthy of attention by any other American institution- what would YOU do?
What would you do If you knew that, in this critical day of social change, non-Black institutions are scrambling to try to tell your story for you from their outside-World-looking-in perspective? Would you then seek to protect two of the few authentic institutional voices that can speak -first-person- about who we are and how we came to be us?
Would you choose to help ensure that Black history is reflected and narrated by two of our most trusted institutions or would you prefer to leave it to others to examine and declare who we are and what is our value as a cultural group?
In the quiet of our consciences, confronted by upheaval and cries for change, a simple question is being asked of us all: What will we do to preserve these important institutions?
Shouting "Black Pride" slogans is only symbolic, unless we follow- up with actions that can result in change. The SSCAC and the DuSable Museum need us to step forward.
Hopefully, you are willing to protect these institutions by playing a part in that change, not just for us, but for every generation that follows! Please let your voice be heard by going making a donation through the following link:
Become a member of the South Side Community Art Center through the link below:
The South Side Community Art Center is located at 3831 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL. 60653, (773)373-1026
The DuSable Museum Is located at 740 E.56th Pl., Chicago, IL.60653, (773) 947-0600
The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
Please contact them for their Membership fee schedules and volunteer opportunities.
Thank you for preserving our story, our beauty, and our future by supporting these essential institutions.
You are invited to view" Community Curator: The South Side Community Art Center," Featuring: Masequa Myers, by clicking the link below. Please share the H30 Art of Life Blog on your social media and share your observations with us.
And Remember to become a member of The DuSable Museum and The South Side Community Art Center TODAY!!