America's Black Holocaust Museum was founded by a lynching survivor. Here's what you'll learn there
America's Black Holocaust Museum was founded in Milwaukee by James Cameron, who survived a lynching in 1930 in Marion, Indiana, when he was 16 years old.
According to the museum’s executive director, Brad Pruitt, the experience led Cameron to “want to better understand our collective history in order to be able to reconcile and heal.”
Today the museum has several exhibits dedicated to telling the stories of Black people through history. The museum's exhibits are meant to convey four themes:
Remembrance: Historical events and people are documented, many of which have been left out of history books.
Resistance: The ways in which Black people have fought back against injustice are shared.
Redemption: Stories of people being saved or saving others from evil are shared.
Reconciliation: Americans of all backgrounds are invited to learn and talk about their shared racial history in an attempt to reconcile differences, misunderstandings and bigotry.
Here's what else to know if you plan on visiting America's Black Holocaust Museum.
What does Black Holocaust mean?
According to the museum's website, James Cameron decided to use the word "holocaust" — which is derived from a Greek word meaning "burnt offering" and has been used historically to describe massacres of large groups of people — after he visited Jerusalem's Yad VaShem, Israel's memorial to victims of the Holocaust.
As the Black Holocaust Museum website details, Cameron "admired how Jewish people value their history. To prevent atrocities like the Nazi Holocaust from happening again, they teach their children and other groups about it. Dr. Cameron saw how this truth-telling gave Jewish communities strength and hope and wanted the same for African American communities."
Why is America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee?
According to a 2024 Journal Sentinel story, when Cameron and his family moved to Milwaukee years after he survived a lynching, he filled his basement with artifacts, books and photos related to Black people’s history and treatment in America. In 1988, he opened his museum in a storefront; then he bought a building from the city, which he remodeled and opened to the public in 1994. After his death in 2006 and the economic downturn of 2008, the museum closed. But a group of volunteers gave it new life when they opened a virtual museum in 2012, and when the physical building reopened in 2022.
Where is America's Black Holocaust Museum?
The museum is in Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood at 401 W. North Ave, on the ground floor of the Griot Building.
What are the hours for America's Black Holocaust Museum?
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The museum is closed on Sunday and Monday.
How much does admission to America's Black Holocaust Museum cost?
Admission to the museum costs $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-17. Children under 3 years old are free.
Discounts are available for first responders, military and AAA members.
Annual memberships can be purchased, which entitle members to free admission and $2 ticket discounts for friends and family. Individual memberships cost $30, partner memberships (benefits for two adults) cost $50 and family memberships (benefits for two adults and their children or grandchildren, 17 years and under, who live in the same household) cost $70.
What is the virtual America's Black Holocaust Museum?
Volunteers put the articles and stories together for the virtual museum when the physical museum had to close due to financial difficulties.
The virtual museum went online in 2012 and continues to be updated today even after the physical museum reopened in 2022.
There are seven history galleries in the virtual museum, each of which has a homepage with links to articles and resources for further learning.
There's also a Special Exhibits gallery which features a memorial to the victims of lynching, an art exhibit that tells the stories behind postcards that were given away as lynching souvenirs, and the Freedom-Lovers' Roll Call Wall, where people can add their names to a Freedom Lovers' pledge.
The seven history galleries are:
Are there events at America's Black Holocaust Museum?
The museum hosts several events throughout the year.
Some examples are monthly guided tours and educational events, such as a May 1 presentation by local historian John Gurda on the history of Black Milwaukee. There are also virtual events, such as a monthly book club.
The museum's events page also highlights events at other venues throughout Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the nation that relate to Black history and culture.
The museum's event space can also be rented for private events by emailing [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Your guide to visiting America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee
