This month Weeksville Heritage Center announced that if it didn’t raise 200K it would be force
This month Weeksville Heritage Center announced that if it didn’t raise 200K it would be forced to close its doors. This news hit me hard as I have loved going to concerts and events at Weeksville, and it would be devastating to lose this monumentally important historic institution that highlights the history of one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America and foregrounds Black people in Brooklyn today. They have incredible collections in their Archives and do phenomenal exhibitions and programs. Weeksville understands the importance of history and proactively saving histories that might otherwise be lost. Thankfully they reached their first fundraising goal and are working towards their second which would enable them to begin building an emergency cash reserve.Brooklyn Museum and Weeksville go way back, as evidenced by these letters. In 1976 Executive Director and founder Dr. Joan Maynard coordinated with Assistant Director Julia Hotton to host events here at the Museum. From their letters to each other, it appears that they may have hosted the launch of Alex Haley’s famous book, Roots! In 1977 we collaborated on a few events that included an exhibit of photographs, lectures, and a film screening.Posted by J. E. Molly Seegers -- source link
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