Reinterpreting America's History

Black Issues in Higher Education, August 5, 1999 by Kendra Hamilton

Evergreen, Ill., outside of Chicago, is where you'll find the African American Children's Museum. Call (708) 636-9504 to plan your trip.

Kansas City, Mo., offers the delights of the Museums at 18th and Vine. Open since September 1997, the complex includes the American Jazz Museum, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Horace M. Peterson Visitor's Center, 3,000 square feet of gallery space, and the Blue Room -- a nonsmoking nightclub featuring live music every Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Call (816) 474-8463 or surf the Internet to <http://kcjazz.org> for details.

New Orleans, La., is a must-see destination for African American food, music, history, and culture. Don't miss the New Orleans African American Museum of Art and Cultural History, (504) 527-0989.

Washington, D.C., now offers the African American Civil War Memorial in the Shaw neighborhood on U Street. Dedicated last July, it has a computer link that allows visitors to do genealogical research on the 208,000 "colored" troops who served in that conflict.

Coming in the new millennium: the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Museum in New Orleans, and the Black Indian Museum, also planned for New Orleans.

-- Kendra Hamilton

Sources: Dr. William Billingsley, African American Museums Association; Ronald Mack, chief of education and interpretation, national Capitol region, U.S. National Parks Service.