America's Black Holocaust Museum reopens after nearly 14 years with joy, thanks and determination to spread 'whole' history

Deborah Moore of Milwaukee was in a familiar setting Friday morning.

She walked through the exhibits at America’s Black Holocaust Museum absorbing information about slave revolts on the Amistad and figures in Black music. She hadn’t done that in years, not since the museum closed in 2008 soon after the death of its founder, James Cameron.

The museum officially reopened Friday morning, drawing crowds to celebrate its reemergence after nearly a 14-year absence.

“It really is an incredible experience, and it is a very emotional experience,” Moore said. “When I heard that it was reopening, I was ecstatic. Our young people need to know their history. We all need to know our history. The fact that this is back is incredible, especially in this day and time with all that we are going through in the city.”

Gov. Tony Evers, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson joined the celebration, which took place on what would have been Cameron's 108th birthday.

Cameron survived an attempted lynching in Marion, Indiana, in 1930, which he chronicled in his book, "A Time of Terror: A Survivor's Story." Eventually, he settled in Milwaukee and dedicated his life to raising awareness about the Black experience in this country and beyond through the museum.

“It is something that is really important, especially for African American museums, because typically if an African-American nonprofit or museum closes, they can’t reopen its doors,” said Robert Davis, America’s Black Holocaust Museum president and CEO.

To have the museum reopen is "like being on a long journey and you finally arrive at your destination," he added.

Evers applauded the hard work and collaboration community leaders and residents did to ensure Friday's reopening would come. He said the museum’s name and exhibits are powerful reminders of those wrongs Black Americans endured in this country. But its reopening signifies efforts to address and understand those wrongs — and the struggle that many in Milwaukee’s Black community still experience.

“Not only do we need to remember this history, but ... we know that we have a lot of work to do to realize the kind of future we want for our state — one that is more equitable, more just and where everyone can thrive," he said

For Virgil Cameron, the museum’s reopening was a special gift to his father on his birthday. He recalled in 2008 when he and other staff members packed up artifacts and wondered how the museum would reopen.

“That was a traumatic day,” Cameron said.

But as talks began on how to revive Milwaukee's Bronzeville area — a Black social, cultural and entertainment hub in its time — so were talks about reviving the museum. Cameron liked the idea of using the museum as an anchor to a $17.7 million development to create an arts and cultural district on the north side.

“I know it's been 14 years, but it seems like six months because of all the work that was involved, and then the village got involved, and like they say, it takes a village and we did it,” Cameron said. “I know my mom and dad are probably celebrating.”

While many people are credited with bringing the museum to this point, Davis said Ald. Milele Coggs and developer Melissa Allen deserve credit for key roles in keeping James Cameron’s legacy alive.

“They were resilient in saying the museum is going to be here on the same footprint where it opened in 1988,” Davis said. “It is because of them that we are here in this location. They were very resolute that this was going to happen and not letting anything else move here. It is going to be the museum.”

For Allen, of Maures Development Group, the reopening brought her full circle. In 2018, she developed the property that is now the museum's home. But its full reopening was delayed because of the pandemic and the facility was rarely used.

To see the museum reemerge as an anchor to revive the Bronzeville neighborhood is significant, she said. It was an ancestral calling to get involved, she said.

“When all the effort and momentum came to the museum being rebirthed and … supporting the vision of Bronzeville and the legacy of Dr. Cameron, it is one that just aligned with me as a person …,” Allen said. “Ancestral history has always been important to me.”

At Friday's gathering, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore recalled being part of a group that organized a citywide protest over the lack of Black history books. The effort led to schools getting books like Lerone Bennett Jr.'s “Before the Mayflower.”

“In order for people — any people — to have self-respect and self-esteem, they've got to have not just part of their history, but their whole history,” Moore said.

Slavery, she added, is just one part of Black people’s history and journey in this country, it's not the whole history.

“It (ABHM) gives life to that experience,” Moore said.

Bryan Croft Sr. of Milwaukee brought his family to the museum, acknowledging that even though he's a lifelong resident, he had never visited when it was previously open.

“We are doing it for the culture and just to be able to expose our children to something outside the curriculums at school that typically don’t teach this history,” said his wife, Dianisha Croft.

While her children’s schools had Black history celebrations, she noted, there wasn’t much information given about Black historical figures and the role they played in shaping and developing this country.

Seventh grader Bailee Croft, 12, was amazed at the impact Blacks had in the music industry.

“It was a very good experience to get to know more about my culture, and learning about music … is like very cool to me,” said the Wedgewood Park International School student. “It’s very interesting. It’s a great learning experience for me and my little brother.”

Her brother, Bryan Croft Jr., a fifth grader at Lowell Elementary School, was surprised to learn about the revolt on the slave ship Amistad. He said he had only heard about the slave uprising conducted by Nat Turner. He said it is very important to learn history in order to move forward.

“We have to look back to move on, because if we don’t look back and just forget about everything, we won’t get anywhere,” he said.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: America's Black Holocaust Museum reopens in Milwaukee