African American Museum and Library at Oakland

It's an old library branch with a very modest museum upstairs. No real exhibits, artifacts or treasures here, just photos and texts. Unless you are nearby you'd be better off on their website. They do have a free seed library

Very educational museum a must stop while in Oakland. The museum was within walking distance from our hotel. I'm so glad we stopped by. Staff was very informative. I will stop again next time I'm in the area.

I learned a lot about the black (ADOS/Freedman) experience in Oakland and the Bay area. As a black ADOS/Freeman from the East Coast I was never fully aware of the experiences in the plates that others face on the West Coast especially in the Bay area. I should come visit this museum/ library contained.

As a museum, there really isn’t that much to see. I would more compare it to a “discovery center” than a true museum with exhibits. There was only one nook about agriculture and another small seasonal one. The tour guide was friendly but difficult to hear or follow. I think it could benefit from a bit more organization so that the displays are more cohesive rather than feeling random.

Very important information about the past events that happened in Oakland, California. A lot of the information was archived by members of the community. Information not to be FORGOTTEN!

I visited this museum and library in Oakland on November 4, 2023. It is around this time of the year that the Festival of the Black Dolls Show and Sale is on exhibit. The vendors have a beautiful selection of dolls on display and on sale. Also there are arts & crafts for children, and a vendor selling plates of soul food and desserts.

This place is a sanctuary! You can't check out anything from the library. But you can read as much as you want, if I lived in the Oakland area I would live at this location an absorb as much African-American history as I possibly could!

Such an amazing place, can't believe they don't charge admission. So much knowledge!

This is a classified topic to my value system. It was a new visit for me..this building in Oakland..there is an exhibit with history..I had not seen some info..kids? too young..middle school high school even college before senior year..tell me who has been here..I had not known..Google maps showed me. I signed up for an Oakland library card..public? various books..interesting to me..

Let's of information and a library to research African American history. The staff is very friendly, knowledgeable and willing to answer questions or assist with research. While there check out their seed library to grow your own plants and or food!

If you're in the city center, you should take an hour or two to check this place out. This is the first library in Oakland in 1902 and a lot of history!

This is a hidden gem in Oakland and we decided to stop by recently to enjoy this African American library. There is a parking garage and street parking nearby. It's very easy to navigate. California and the city of Oakland are enforcing the COVID-19 pandemic precautions and require visitors to wear face masks. All of the exhibits were very educational and shared African American history for the city of Oakland. I would highly recommend it to my friends, my family members, and other travelers to plan for a visit if you're in Oakland.

Fabulous opportunity to gain some cultural knowledge. The ancestors speak in the silence of this library. Peace is obtained in the solitude of your imagination fulfilled with the rich culture of a powerful people!

The African American Museum & Library is a part of the Oakland Public Library system yet no books or media is allowed to be checked out here. I loved pursuing the books on the 1st Floor including books about Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Hip Hop, & more. There are a great selection of books & many tables for reading. It is a nice quiet space to study. On the second floor is where the museum is. I loved how interactive it is. There are many videos where you can click on to hear different people's experience about life & living in Oakland. The building the Library & Museum is housed in is a gift of Andrew Carnegie & is a beautiful building. I will definitely return as I loved the library & feel it is a good place to take notes as you can request to borrow items from other branches. The interactive museum is quite comprehensive so feel repeated visits would be necessary to truly absorb it all.

The museum was on my list of places to visit the last time I was in town so I made sure I made it during my last trip. I stopped by on a Friday afternoon. The building, from the outside, looked a bit like an old church so I paused to make sure I was at the right place. Upon entry, I was greeted warmly by a couple of employees at the library on the 1st floor. While you can't check out books, there's a nice wide assortment of great African-American reads. The second floor houses the museum. It's not expansive but it's also not to be overlooked. There's a variety of interactive tools, info on local stories and prominent persons of color from and in Oakland and information on instrumental groups such as the Black Panthers. So glad I went and I will go back on my next visit.

Wonderful museum celebrating African American heritage and culture. The curator setting up the new miniature displays was very friendly answering all our questions. The reference library and archives on the first top rate. There is also a seed library offering seeds of various fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs. The original Carnegie library building is well preserved and quite handsome.

This review comes on the heels of me visiting the Charles Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit in July and in my mind, very little can compare to that. However, these are catering to two different audiences and have been constructed under different circumstances. Although there is a bust of Frederick Douglass in here, you don't come in here to look for information Harriet Tubman, MLK Jr, etc. You come here to look at the local African Americans who shaped Bay Area culture and history. Local and unique. It's small and you can spend 15 minutes to nearly half a day here (but realistically, more like an hour max). Museum is on the second floor and it's free to the public, also not too far of a walk away from 12th Street BART, Preservation Park, and even from Chinatown.

I've come to the African American Museum & Library several times. I've come with my son during public hours, and I've come to a few private events. I last attended the Honoring Toni Morrison Reading and again just enjoyed the space. The art is fantastic and reading the history is heartwarming and educational. I plan on becoming a member. I'll have to bring my son again.

I attended the Festival of Black Dolls Show & Sale on 11/9/2018 held on the upper level. It was from 10 am - 5 pm. The talented Black female vendors were amazing! Very talented artists who design and make dolls with incredible attention to detail. I bought a total of 5 dolls but wish I could buy more, not only in support of their craft but due to the unique beauty and keen details. It was very well attended and I met people who flew in for this event. There was also a vendor who sold food, it wasn't very flavorful. Many people said the same: Where is the seasoning bottle??? There was one woman (Mary?) who was a hostess and she was TOTALLY nasty. I stepped behind the auction table to photograph a 3ft doll. She approached me from behind and shouted, " YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BACK HERE"!!! I was like....Bytch PLEEZE!!! First off, coming up behind someone without excusing yourself shows no home training. I totally ignored her mean azz and continued taking photos until I was completely done. I'm not sure why or how she felt comfortable speaking to me like a 12 yr old doll but that just was so not OK and everyone understands that I am extremely sensitive about how one addresses me verbally or in writing. Stay in your lane ma'am & man the dolls already!! I will attend next year, buy more Black Dolls & look for Mean "Mary" - Whoot Whoot!!!

Date: 11/14/2015 Time: 1:30 PM 63° Sunny It has been quite a while that I have set foot in this museum/library. I was working at the Elihu M. Harris State Building, a short walking distance to this location. The event was a tribute to Black History Month in February 2001. It was quite an impressive exhibition. In retrospect, the years certainly have passed by quickly that I have almost forgotten that this museum/library is still here. Fast forward to today. The African American Museum and Library in Oakland is located on the corner of 14th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way (formerly known as Grove Street). It is a two story building built over 110 years ago or so. The building suffered major damage after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989. However, through the diligence and hard work by preservationists, this building was restored to its beauty of yesteryears. Purpose of my visit: 2015 Festival of Black Dolls Show and Sale. I am on their mailing list for this annual event. The last time I had contact with this organization was at a Kwanzaa Gift Show back in the year 2000 at the Marriott Convention Center. The show was on the second floor. Thank goodness the museum has an elevator. I probably would have been massaging my arthritic left knee if I had to walk up the two flights of stairs. I am proud, very proud that this museum/library supports the history, the contribution and the culture of the African American community. I am also grateful that they support this event by being the host to the many vendors who are there with the beautiful doll collections, arts 'n crafts, homemade goodies by Ms. Lyn's Creations, greeting cards and let's not forget the Black Santa. Palate Pleasures Catering was also there selling meals at a reasonable price of $12.00. Smothered chicken or fried chicken dinner were the choices and included sides of red beans/rice with ham hocks, macaroni 'n cheese, collard greens and cornbread muffins. The vendors were very friendly and one of them actually asked me "how are you" and then said "thank you" in the Mandarin dialect. She was also at the Kwanzaa Gift Show, but we never engaged in a conversation at that time. Ah, past memories are great to share and they warm the heart. Even though this event was more geared to women, my husband enjoyed it, as he was able to see the many wonderful talents of his people as entrepreneurs. Return visits? Yes, by all means, not only for the Festival of the Black Dolls Show and Sale, but also to admire what the museum has to offered to the community. It is a must see for people who love history...black history and black culture.

This is the best museum with so many important and consequential exhibits. Every taxpayer in America should tour this museum..

Amazing both an Oakland Public Library branch, reference only, non-circulating but also a museum with a beautiful spacious gallery occupying the entire 2nd floor. Open 6 days a week. As the owner of BlackHistoryEveryday.com a font of knowledge.

Library looks great but I didn't really come for the research material or history resources so I can't really comment on it. The museum gallery upstairs needs improvement. Lots of potential though. Huge space with beautiful vaulted decorative ceilings. Many of the video exhibits were not functional and those that were we found to be pretty basic but interesting. I did learn a bit about African American history in Oakland which was very interesting and I left with more knowledge than I had going in.

This lovingly restored 1902 Carnegie building includes a museum and art gallery devoted to the African-Americans who made an impact on the Bay Area and Northern California.

This was a nice happenstance find. The museum focuses on the development and history of the African American community in Oakland. It would be nice if it were a bit more interactive. The best part, for me, was just talking to the lovely lady at the front desk who was born and raised in Oakland. I probably got more information and insight from her than from the exhibits.

Gorgeous building, they've always got great historic/art shows and wonderful programs going on. -2 stars because you can't check out any of the books.

Decided to visit after realizing I could (for lack of a better phrase) kill two birds with one stone by visiting a museum I've been dying to check out and knock out some studying/work all in the same building. As I walked in, I was nicely greeted by the security guard who notified me that my fresh coffee wouldn't be allowed in, but offered to watch it as I browsed the museum. Nice! I first viewed the (next to inadequate) archives and then made my way upstairs to the main exhibit. Wow.. this building is absolutely beautiful! But, I was slightly disappointed to see that the main exhibit consisted of almost half of non-African American people (I mean, come on.. this is an AFRICAN AMERICAN museum) and their struggles with predominantly African American plagued issues (We'll let that slide.. for now). Although the main exhibit was small, it took me close to two hours to view everything including the available video interviews displayed on the screens in each corner. After the main exhibit, I headed back downstairs to check out the library. The library is super small but also very beautiful and well kept. The library is stocked with African American history books and for the most part, quiet. I spent the rest of my time there, studying and actually being productive until closing. The only possible downsides I could think of is: 1. Lack of African American archives (You're better off visiting the Museum of the African Diaspora in SF for archives) 2. No free parking. (Must park at 1 hour max metered parking, or the expensive garage parallel to the museum.) 3. Early closing times of 5:30pm... (Really? The library should be available till at least 8:00pm) Other than that, the African American museum was a fun place to be, and very informative!

Visit this wonderful interesting museum, and find out more about the incredibly brave people who struggled for freedom. Inspiring, and gives some insight into a different point of view of history. I felt righteous as I smiled and nodded to the lady on the way out the door.

Incredible building near downtown Oakland with Archives and a small library, as well as informative exhibits on the 2nd floor. Just being in this space allows you to focus and definitely a great spot for research.

So, I had a chance last weekend to visit The African American Museum and Library at Oakland. The building is fantastic example of the period. It was built in 1900 using a donation of $50k from Andrew Carnegie. It survived the 1906 quake, but had major damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It was closed and slated for demolition. Thankfully that didn't happen. Preservationist were able to secure about $12 million in funds to save the building. Using the City's archive, which is now housed there, it was faithfully restored to it's original condition. It is like walking back in time. Today it is a wonderful museum and non-circulating library dedicated to preserving the history and experiences of African Americans in Northern California and the Bay Area. Really a must visit for any local history buff.

This museum seems very actively involved with the community & keeps a variety of activities going. I went one Saturday with my husband, and was happy to find that they were having a guest speaker talk on the history of African Americans in times just before civil war. We intently listened to that, as I'm not from California, so I found it interesting. More amazing to me was the number of people who came to the talk (they had to get more chairs), and that notes were being taken. After, they had a gospel concert, and you could register to be a bone marrow donor. The library had a wide assortment of books specifically for the African American community. The museum gears its history specifically for California. I only wish some of the pictures had captions, as just seeing historical pictures of people doesn't say anything.

so glad they are preserving the life and times of african americans in Oakland and the bay area. Wonderful black history month events. Their annual doll show is not to be missed.really love their new digs!

Nice building, I can imagine the jazz events are nice here. Nice little gem of history.